Compassion in the Ward Setting
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Beyond the nurse-patient relationship: An ethnographic case study exploring how compassion takes place in the ward setting.
IRAS ID
169664
Contact name
Donna Barnes
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE: Concerns about quality of care and compassion in NHS hospitals persist and numerous compassion-related initiatives have been integrated into practice with the aim of improving the situation. There has been a particular focus on nursing care (Smajdor, 2012) and the ward setting (Firth-Cozens and Cornwell, 2009).
However, the evidence-base relating to compassion in healthcare, and the recent compassion-related initiatives, is limited. Research has tended to be based on a narrow model of compassion which focuses on the personal attributes of nurses, while under-examining other staff groups and contextual factors. Consequently we have an incomplete understanding of compassion in healthcare and how it can best be incorporated into the complex ward setting (Schofield, 2012).
AIM: This study will examine how compassion occurs in the hospital ward. It will analyse the contribution of all within this setting (staff, patients and their relatives/carers) as well as the wider organisational factors at play.
It aims to:
• increase understanding of how compassion occurs in this setting
• enhance the compassionate environment of the supporting Trust
• contribute to the nationwide debate and research on this topic.
DESIGN: The study will be set in one NHS Trust. Participants will be drawn from the staff groups, patients and relatives of one primary and two supporting sites within the Trust.
The ethnographic design involves 9-12 months of data collection, using:
• participant observation
• interviews
• audio-diaries
• analysis of documentary sources
The primary site provides the base for the ethnographic investigation. The supporting sites provide:
• participants for comparative interviews and audio-diaries
• an alternative setting to check the wider resonance of the findings
• a contingency base ward for ethnographic investigation if necessary.
Data analysis will be guided by the framework analysis method. This is a matrix-based, content analysis technique suitable for health research and which provides a transparent account of the analysis process.REC name
East Midlands - Nottingham 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/EM/0234
Date of REC Opinion
17 Jul 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion