How to Assess Compassion?

“Compassion, can affect not only the outcomes for our patients, but also the financial health of our organizations and the well-being of our providers.” — Donald Berwick, MD President emeritus, Institute for Healthcare Improvement

Do you feel respected by and in partnership with your maternity care professional?  This simple 5-item tool measures may help you to decide.

The 5-Item Compassion Measure:

  • How often do you feel your provider cares about your emotional or psychological well-being?
  • How often do you feel your provider is interested in you as a whole person?
  • How often do you feel your provider is considerate of your personal needs?
  • How often do you feel your provider is able to gain your trust?
  • How often do you feel your provider shows you care and compassion?

Scoring:

A – Each item response scaled as 1, never; 2, sometimes; 3, usually; 4, always

B – In the maternity care contact provider refers to doctors and midwives.

C – zero no compassion , 20 high compassion.

 

Reference:

Brian W. Roberts, MD, MSc1,2; Michael B. Roberts, PsyD3; Jady Yao, MHA4; et al, 2019,   Development and Validation of a Tool to Measure Patient Assessment of Clinical , JAMA Netw Open. 2019;2(5):e193976.  doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.3976 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2733433