Читать книгу The Nursing Associate's Handbook of Clinical Skills - Группа авторов - Страница 73

When we show compassion, we are demonstrating not only empathy, respect and dignity but also an overwhelming desire to relieve or intervene in another’s distress or suffering. Ballett and Campling in 2011 discussed the idea of compassion as emotional kindness. They assert that kindness is a natural response that drives people to pay attention to each other, to understand another’s needs and to do well for others. This idea was supported by Meredith et al. (2018) who studied the emotional needs of patients following heart attack. The study eloquently draws from the narrative of patients and members of the multidisciplinary team to highlight examples of emotional kindness to support emotional healing. Healing in this respect is focused on the psychosocial aspects of care. Emphasis is put on the role of emotional intelligence (EI) in healthcare and social care staff. They state that ‘a fundamental aspect promoting enhanced social support was the emotional intelligence of health professionals’.

Developing EI helps the nursing associate to have a more positive attitude to care, and those with a high level of EI demonstrate more ease in establishing relationships and a higher level of adaptability. Healthcare and social care workers who recognise subtle changes in a person’s behaviour, stress levels or demeanour can intervene with compassion to emotionally support patients in their care.