A Historical and Empirical Review of Compassion

Abstract

Compassion is a core attribute of nursing practice and is associated with improved patient satisfaction and outcomes. Only recently has compassion appeared in nursing literature. Therefore, the purpose of this literature review is to examine the historical context of compassion within nursing education and practice, how it is currently defined, and a review of the empirical data. The findings of this review revealed that compassion has been defined in a variety of methods, often based on the discipline in which the term is being defined. However, the empirical evidence attempts to define compassion across disciplines, which may present challenges and, as a result, be wrongly characterized and defined.