The DOI matches its Crossref record; 111 of the 111 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Compassion: a scoping review of the healthcare literature
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: Recent concerns about suboptimal patient care and a lack of compassion have prompted policymakers to question the preparedness of clinicians for the challenging environment in which they practice. Compassionate care is expected by patients and is a professional obligation of clinicians; however, little is known about the state of research on clinical compassion. The purpose of this scoping review was to map the literature on compassion in clinical healthcare. METHODS: Searches of eight electronic databases and the grey literature were conducted to identify empirical studies published over the last 25 years. Eligible studies explored perceptions or interventions of compassionate care in clinical populations, healthcare professionals, and healthcare students. Following the title and abstract review, two reviewers independently screened full-texts articles, and extracted study data. A narrative approach to synthesizing and mapping the literature was used. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Of 36,637 records, 648 studies were retrieved and 44 studies were included in the review. Less than one third of studies included patients. Six themes emerged from studies that explored perceptions of compassionate care: nature of compassion, development of compassion, interpersonal factors related to compassion, action and practical compassion, barriers and enablers of compassion, and outcomes of compassion. Intervention studies included two compassionate care trials with patients and eight educational programs that aimed to improve compassionate care in clinicians and students. CONCLUSIONS: This review identifies the limited empirical understanding of compassion in healthcare, highlighting the lack of patient and family voices in compassion research. A deeper understanding of the key behaviors and attitudes that lead to improved patient-reported outcomes through compassionate care is necessary.
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“Studies have shown that it is an important part of the quality-of-care ratings in EDs [56, 57]”
From Suicide among youth and young adults in Canada: bereaved parents' perspectives on the systems of care (2025) · cites this paper as [56]
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“Thus, although the roots of compassion seem to be innate, current evidence suggests that training, including meditation, can help to sustain compassion and nurture it over time.”
From Mindfulness and compassion-oriented practices at work reduce distress and enhance self-care of palliative care teams: a mixed-method evaluation of an "on the job" program. (2018) · cites this paper as [6]
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“They concluded that patient’s perceived compassion as being rooted in the virtues of their health care provider, generating the first evidence-based definition of compassion—a virtuous response that seeks to address the suffering and needs of a person through relational understanding and action.”
From Mindfulness and compassion-oriented practices at work reduce distress and enhance self-care of palliative care teams: a mixed-method evaluation of an "on the job" program. (2018) · cites this paper as [6]
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“Moreover, external factors including the limited healthcare resources, increased clinical demands and negative workplace cultures, can hinder the delivery of compassionate medicine [6].”
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“The authors note however that, compassion qualities can be cultivated or eroded over time, with practice setting being one of the most powerful modifiers.”
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Items 501–507 of 507
Exploring Factors Associated with Caring Self-Perception and Systemic Barriers in Medical Education
Neal, C., Gelatt, T., DiFrancisco‐Donoghue, J., Eng, N., Yao, S. C., & Toma, M. (2026) · International Medical Education · doi:10.3390/ime5040102
Exploring Compassion in Traumatic Brain Injury Screening for Underserved Populations
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Beyond communication: Toward a relational model of silent accompaniment in healthcare
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Park, M.-J., Gan, S., Lee, E., Jo, S., & Lee, Y. (2026) · Journal of Nursing Management · doi:10.1155/jonm/3937997
Metadata
- Authors
- Sinclair, S., Norris, J. M., McConnell, S. J., Chochinov, H. M., Hack, T. F., Hagen, N. A., McClement, S., & Bouchal, S. R.
- Affiliations
- University of Calgary (CA)
- CancerCare Manitoba (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Sinclair, Shane
- ORCID
- Venue
- BMC Palliative Care
- Published
- 2016-01-19
- Volume
- 15
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 6-6
- ISSN
- 1472-684X (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC4717626
- OpenAlex
- W2252958645
- Cited by
- 507
- References
- 110
- Citations by year
- 2026: 56 · 2025: 65 · 2024: 61 · 2023: 53 · 2022: 50 · 2021: 63 · 2020: 51 · 2019: 48 · 2018: 31 · 2017: 21 · 2016: 8
- FWCI
- 31.99
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- BMC Palliative Care (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Libraries and Cultural Resources (University of Calgary) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Libraries and Cultural Resources (University of Calgary) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Empathy and Medical Education
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Patient-Provider Communication in Healthcare
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues
- Keywords
- compassion, compassionate care, healthcare workers, health professions students, compassion education, patient-reported outcomes, patient and family perspectives, clinician attitudes
- MeSH terms
- Compassion Fatigue, Attitude of Health Personnel, Delivery of Health Care, Empathy, Health Personnel, Humans, Learning, Nurse-Patient Relations, Perception
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