title: Exploring the compassion deficit debate.
abstract: Several recent high profile failures in the UK health care system have promoted strong debate on compassion and care in nursing. A number of papers articulating a range of positions within this debate have been published in this journal over the past two and a half years. These articulate a diverse range of theoretical perspectives and have been drawn together here in an attempt to bring some coherence to the debate and provide an overview of the key arguments and positions taken by those involved. In doing this we invite the reader to consider their own position in relation to the issues raised and to consider the impact of this for their own practice. Finally the paper offers some sense of how individual practitioners might use their understanding of the debates to ensure delivery of good nursing care.
authors.affiliation: School of Health in Social Science, University of Edinburgh, Medical School, Teviot Place, Edinburgh EH8 9AG, UK. Electronic address: Rosie.Stenhouse@ed.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Rosie
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stenhouse
authors.affiliation: Abertay University, Division of Mental Health Nursing and Counselling, Bell St, Dundee DD1 1NG. Electronic address: r.ion@abertay.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Robin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ion
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Midwifery & Health, University of Stirling, Stirling, Scotland. Electronic address: c.m.roxburgh@stir.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roxburgh
authors.affiliation: Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust, Leeds. Electronic address: patricdevitt@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Patric Ffrench
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Devitt
authors.affiliation: Edinburgh Napier University Sighthill Court, Edinburgh EH11 4BN. Electronic address: ste.smith@napier.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Stephen D M
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D004645:Empathy; D006801:Humans; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D009732:Nursing Care / Q000592:standards*; D012941:Social Responsibility; D006113:United Kingdom
keywords: Accountability; Care failure; Compassion; Nursing; Poor care