International study on nurses' views and experiences of compassion

BACKGROUND: Compassion is considered the cornerstone of nursing practice. However, the recent failures in delivering high-quality compassionate nursing care in the UK's National Health Service have brought the topic of compassion to the attention of the public, service providers, policy makers and academics. AIM: The aim of this study was to explore the nurses' views and experiences of a number of compassion-related issues in nursing and describe similarities and differences at an international level as well as from the different nursing roles of the participating nurses. METHODS: An exploratory, cross-sectional descriptive study, using the International Online Compassion Questionnaire. A total of 1323 nurses from 15 countries completed the questionnaire. RESULTS: The majority of participants (59.5%) defined compassion as "Deep awareness of the suffering of others and wish to alleviate it" but definitions of compassion varied by country. Of participants, 69.6% thought compassion was very important in nursing and more than half (59.6%) of them argued that compassion could be taught. However, only 26.8% reported that the correct amount and level of teaching is provided. The majority of the participants (82.6%) stated that their patients prefer knowledgeable nurses with good interpersonal skills. Only 4.3% noted that they are receiving compassion from their managers. A significant relationship was found between nurses' experiences of compassion and their views about teaching of compassion. CONCLUSION: Our study is unique in identifying the views and experiences of nurses from 15 different countries worldwide. The findings reveal that compassion is neither addressed adequately in nursing education nor supported in the practice environment by managers. LIMITATIONS: Self-report bias was inherent to our survey study design. Furthermore, the individual cultural differences and similarities in the findings are difficult to extrapolate owing to the fact that our analysis was at country level, as well as at the level of the participating nurses. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING POLICY: Understanding the influence of culture on nurses' views about compassion is critical in the current multicultural healthcare environment and merits further research. This will potentially drive changes in nursing education (ensuring that compassion is taught to nurses) and in the way healthcare leaders and managers foster a compassionate culture within their organizations (e.g. by leading by example and compassionate to their staff). © 2016 International Council of Nurses

The importance of being a compassionate leader: the views of nursing and midwifery managers from around the world

Introduction: Despite the importance of compassionate leadership in health care, many of the existing publications do not account for the effect of culture. The aim of this study is to explore the views of nursing and midwifery managers from different countries in relation to the definition, advantages, and importance of compassion. Methodology: A cross-sectional, descriptive, exploratory online survey was conducted across 17 countries, containing both closed and open-ended questions. Data from N = 1,217 respondents were analyzed using a directed hybrid approach focusing only on qualitative questions related to compassion-giving. Results: Four overarching themes capture the study’s results: (1) definition of compassion, (2) advantages and importance of compassion for managers, (3) advantages and importance of compassion for staff and the workplace, and (4) culturally competent and compassionate leadership. Discussion: Innovative research agendas should pursue further local qualitative empirical research to inform models of culturally competent and compassionate leadership helping mangers navigate multiple pressures and be able to transculturally resonate with their staff and patients

Obstacles to compassion-giving among nursing and midwifery managers: an international study

Aim: To explore nursing and midwifery managers’ views regarding obstacles to compassion-giving across country cultures. Background: The benefit of compassionate leadership is being advocated, but despite the fact that healthcare is invariably conducted within culturally diverse workplaces, the interconnection of culture, compassion and leadership is rarely addressed. Furthermore, evidence on how cultural factors hinder the expression of compassion among nursing and midwifery managers is lacking. Methods: Cross-sectional, exploratory, international online survey involving 1 217 participants from 17 countries. Managers’ responses on open-ended questions related to barriers for providing compassion were entered and thematically analysed through NVivo. Results: Three key themes related to compassion-giving obstacles emerged across countries: 1. related to the managers’ personal characteristics and experiences; 2. system-related; 3. staff-related. Conclusions: Obstacles to compassion-giving among managers vary across countries. An understanding of the variations across countries and cultures of what impedes compassion to flourish in healthcare is important. Implications for nursing practice and policy: Nursing mangers should wisely use their power by adopting leadership styles that promote culturally competent and compassionate workplaces with respect for human rights. Policymakers should identify training and mentoring needs to enable the development of managers’ practical wisdom. Appropriate national and international policies should facilitate the establishment of standards and guidelines for compassionate leadership, in the face of distorted organisational cultures and system-related obstacles to compassion-giving

Enactment of compassionate leadership by nursing and midwifery managers: results from an international online survey

Aim To explore the views of an international sample of nursing and midwifery managers concerning attributes that they associate with compassionate management. Method A cross- sectional online survey. Using a snowballing sampling method, 1217 responses were collected from nursing and midwifery managers in 17 countries. A total of complete 933 responses to a question related to which actions and behaviours indicated that a manager was exercising compassionate leadership were analysed for this paper. First, content analysis of the responses was conducted, and second, a relative distribution of the identified themes for the overall sample and for each participating country was calculated. Results Six main themes were identified describing the attributes of a compassionate leader: (1) Virtuous support, (2) Communication, (3) Personal virtues of the manager, (4) Participatory communication, (5) Growth/flourishing/ nurturing and (6) Team cohesion. The first three themes mentioned above collectively accounted for 63% of the responses, and can therefore be considered to be the most important characteristics of compassionate management behaviour. Conclusion The key indicators of compassionate management in nursing and midwifery which were identified emphasise approachability, active and sensitive listening, sympathetic responses to staff members’ difficulties (especially concerning child and other caring responsibilities), active support of and advocacy for the staff team and active problem solving and conflict resolution. While there were differences between the countries’ views on compassionate healthcare management, some themes were widely represented among different countries’ responses, which suggest key indicators of compassionate management that apply across culture

Obstacles to compassion-giving among nursing and midwifery managers: an international study

Aim: To explore nursing and midwifery managers’ views regarding obstacles to compassion-giving across country cultures. Background: The benefit of compassionate leadership is being advocated, but despite the fact that health care is invariably conducted within culturally diverse workplaces, the interconnection of culture, compassion and leadership is rarely addressed. Furthermore, evidence on how cultural factors hinder the expression of compassion among nursing and midwifery managers is lacking. Methods: Cross-sectional, exploratory, international online survey involving 1 217 participants from 17 countries. Managers’ responses on open-ended questions related to barriers for providing compassion were entered and thematically analysed through NVivo. Results: Three key themes related to compassion-giving obstacles emerged across countries: 1. related to the managers’ personal characteristics and experiences; 2. system-related; and 3. staff-related. Conclusions: Obstacles to compassion-giving among managers vary across countries. An understanding of the variations across countries and cultures of what impedes compassion to flourish in health care is important. Implications for nursing practice and policy: Nursing mangers should wisely use their power by adopting leadership styles that promote culturally competent and compassionate workplaces with respect for human rights. Policymakers should identify training and mentoring needs to enable the development of managers’ practical wisdom. Appropriate national and international policies should facilitate the establishment of standards and guidelines for compassionate leadership, in the face of distorted organizational cultures and system-related obstacles to compassion-giving

Road traffic interview on regional rods

Road traffic interview gives information on trip generation and destination, and on route selection. Zachodniopomorski Regional Road Board, in years 2014 2015, made semi-interview based on copying last four digits on registration plates in two vehicle groups, light and heavy. The purpose of the measurement was to achieve possibly much information on the traffic necessary to economic analysis planed by-passes of the towns.Zastosowanie ankietowych pomiarów ruchu daje informacje o źródłach i celach ruchu, a także o wyborze tras drogowych. Zachodniopomorski Zarząd Dróg Wojewódzkich w latach 2014–2015 organizował pomiary ruchu o charakterze ankietowym, polegające na spisywaniu czterech ostatnich znaków z tablicy rejestracyjnej pojazdów, z uwzględnieniem podziału na samochody lekkie i ciężkie. Celem wykonania pomiarów było uzyskanie możliwie dużo informacji o ruchu, niezbędnych do przeprowadzenia analizy efektywności planowanej budowy obwodnic tych miejscowości

Safety systems on voivodeship roads

W ostatnich latach w Polce na drogach publicznych wszystkich kategorii nadal ginie zbyt wiele osób. Dlatego też podejmowane są nieustanne próby wyjaśnienia przyczyn powstawania tego zjawiska, a także poszukiwania metod ich przeciwdziałaniu. Zachodniopomorski Zarząd Dróg Wojewódzkich w Koszalinie w roku 2016 rozpoczął działania, które mają na celu zbudowanie Systemu Bezpieczeństwa na Drogach Wojewódzkich we współpracy z różnymi instytucjami, a przede wszystkim z Policją.Within last few years, there were still too many fatal accidents in Poland on public roads of all categories. Therefore there are continuous attempts being taken in order to find reasons of the fatalities as well as the solution and method for their prevention. The West Pomeranian Regional Road Board in Koszalin has started in 2016 actions with a view to establish Regional Roads Safety System in cooperation with different institutions, especially with the police

Selected Aspects Of Design Lifespan Of Flexible Pavement With Anti-Fatigue Course

The aim of the study is to compare flexible pavement design lifespans and the main factors which create their values for a standard structure and one with an anti-fatigue course AF at different parameter values of pavement and its load, relevant to their design processes. Depending on the mixture used for the anti-fatigue course or the course thickness, durability improvement of the pavement (compared to the durability of a standard structure) can be obtained by extending the design lifespan of the asphalt base course or by extending the design lifespan of the AF course. On sections with predominantly slow traffic, the lifespan decreases significantly compared to sections with typical vehicle speed - the relative decrease is greater if anti-fatigue course is applied