The Use of Common Humanity Scenarios to Promote Compassion in Healthcare Workers

ABSTRACT

The importance of compassion in healthcare is universally acknowledged. However, the factors that enhance compassion are not well understood. The perception of common humanity has been proposed as a prosocial perspective that leads to unbiased universal compassion. There has been a lack of research into the relationship between common humanity and compassion. This study examined the use of common humanity scenarios to promote compassion in healthcare workers. Seventy-five healthcare workers were randomly assigned to two groups and shown a different common humanity scenario. The healthcare workers were asked what effect viewing the videos had on their perception of common humanity and compassion. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes. Four main themes emerged: (a) common bonds; (b) people have the same needs; (c) no one wants to suffer; (d) seeing strangers helping others is motivating. Healthcare workers reported feelings of care, concern, and compassion after viewing common humanity scenarios.

IMPLICATIONS

• Viewing common humanity scenarios appears to lead to enhanced feelings of connection to others and compassion in healthcare workers.

• Using common humanity scenarios may be a useful compassion training strategy in healthcare.

• Further research is necessary to gain a better understanding of how viewing common humanity material influences compassion.

     

Dimension-wise sparse low-rank approximation of a matrix with application to variable selection in high-dimensional integrative analyzes of association

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Thirty‐five Years Later in Development Assistance: Have We Moved On,or Just Performed a Minuet?

Development economists have presented the problems of development in varying and incompatible terms, and have influentially advocated contradictory policies. After twists and turns a broad consensus has emerged on pro‐poor growth objectives and on the policy and institutional means of achieving them. But a number of important questions remain unresolved or indeterminate. Development experts, economists and others, should have the humility to recognise the country specificity of much development experience and the multiplicity of valid paths to the goal of material wellbeing. They are least likely to mislead if their advice acknowledges the likely joint importance of macroeconomic stability, reasonably efficient markets, and supportive institutions.     

Tanzania's Cotton Sector: Reforms,Constraints and Challenges

This article contributes to the liberalisation debate in Africa by assessing the policy reforms in the Tanzanian cotton sector, the outcome of which has been mixed. The grower's share in the fob price has increased; the growers receive payments promptly; the ginning capacity has increased considerably. However, supply response did not take place; the input distribution system collapsed, while the mixing of cotton varieties constitutes a threat to the viability of the sector. The co‐operative unions figure prominently in the sector, although for all practical purposes they are bankrupt enterprises. Taxation is excessive, the tax code is complicated and tax evasion is pervasive. The cotton board and the ministries still overregulate the sector. The quality of statistics remains poor.     

Credit Unions: A Partial Solution to the Consumer Credit Problems of Low Income Families

An anomaly of Australia's economic system is that those who can least afford to pay dearly for consumer credit (low income families), are the ones who must pay more. It is suggested that a partial solution to the consumer credit problems of low income families lies in the use of credit unions. This paper examines the consumer credit problems of such families, illustrates how credit unions function and indicates where they may be useful in providing cheap credit to low income families.     

Conceptual frameworks and the philosophical foundations of general living systems theory

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