title: Clarifying misconceptions about compassionate care.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To discuss the meaning of compassionate care as it applies to staff, patients and families in health and social care settings, its application to practice and how organizational infrastructures affect the delivery of care.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  The term compassion has assumed headline status and inclusion in current health and social care policy. Clarity of what the term means in practice is needed and may help to promote delivery of compassionate care consistently across health and social care settings.
  
  
  METHODS
  Discussion paper.
  
  
  METHODS
  This article draws on data from an action research programme (Leadership in Compassionate Care Programme, 2007-2011) that focused on embedding compassionate care into practice and education and related literature focused on compassionate person-centred care. A literature search was conducted and articles published in English relating to the terms compassionate, person-centred care between 1999-2011 were included.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Perceptions of compassion, practising compassion and the infrastructure to support compassion are discussed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is anticipated that this discussion will prompt further debate, raise awareness and help to clarify the meaning of compassion in everyday practice with patients, relatives and staff, so that it can be more clearly named, valued and defended.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This article challenges some of the beliefs and values that underpin the meaning of compassionate care and its application to practice. It brings greater clarity to the meaning of compassion, which could be used to form the basis of shared visions of caring, both strategic and operational, across organizations.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Education, Health and Social Sciences, Hamilton, UK.
authors.forename: Belinda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dewar
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Adamson
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Joyce
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Surfleet
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: King
mesh_terms: D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D004645:Empathy; D006801:Humans
keywords: caring; compassion; nursing; nursing practice; person-centred care; professional issues; quality; quality of care; relationships