Handbook of Compassion in Healthcare: A Practical Approach

Caragh Behan; Brendan Kelly

doi:10.1017/9781009390217

Handbook of Compassion in Healthcare

A Practical Approach

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Kelly, Brendan 2025. Buddhism and Psychiatry. p. 65.

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Caragh Behan, Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland, Brendan Kelly, Trinity College, Dublin

Publisher:: Cambridge University Press
Online publication date:: June 2025
Print publication year:: 2025
Online ISBN:: 9781009390217
DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009390217
Creative Commons:: This content is Open Access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence CC-BY-NC 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/creativelicenses

Subjects:: Medicine: General Interest, Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, Medicine, Psychiatry

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What is compassion? Although a fundamental value in healthcare, this concept is often misunderstood and difficult to navigate. The authors of this book aim to answer this fundamental question, as well as offer a practical approach to how to use it in medicine. Comprised of two parts, the first part of this book explores the background to compassionate healthcare, examines how it differs from other concepts and outlines its relationship to medical professionalism. The second part offers a practical guide full of strategies and exercises to assist healthcare workers in practicing compassion by cultivating mindfulness and awareness, deepening compassion in care. This book is essential reading for medical professionals and trainees across healthcare, providing a guide to incorporating compassion into daily practice to deliver better, more compassionate care for the benefit of all. This title is also available as open access on Cambridge Core.

‘This cutting-edge book is in two parts. Part I highlights that compassion is not about just being kind and empathic but is a precise motivational process with multiple competencies that can be cultivated. The editors highlight that contextualising and grounding personal and technical practices of compassionate brain states (which guide attention, thinking, body regulation and behaviour) in its delivery can have multiple effects. Part II brings readers to core communications on how to practise compassion and build our own compassion-focused brain states, how to create compassion-focused integrated relationships, and compassion-sensitive organisation. It is a book of deep scholarship and dedication to promoting science-based compassionate interventions at the centre of all aspects of healthcare delivery – from support for clinicians, to administrative staff and their interactions.’

Paul Gilbert - PhD, FBPsS, OBE, Centre for Compassion Research and Training, College of Health, Psychology and Social Care, University of Derby

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Contents

Handbook of Compassion in Healthcare
pp i-i
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Reviews
pp ii-ii
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Handbook of Compassion in Healthcare - Title page
pp iii-iii
A Practical Approach
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Copyright page
pp iv-iv
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Contents
pp v-v
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Acknowledgements
pp vi-vi
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Dedication
pp vi-vi
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Introduction: Why We Wrote This Book
pp 1-10
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Part I - Compassion in Healthcare
pp 11-82
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Chapter 1 - What Is Compassion?
pp 11-18
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Chapter 2 - Background to Compassionate Healthcare
pp 19-26
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Chapter 3 - What Compassion Is Not
pp 27-34
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Chapter 4 - Medical Professionalism and Compassion
pp 35-43
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Chapter 5 - Compassion in Healthcare
pp 44-51
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Chapter 6 - Neuroscience and Compassion
pp 52-59
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Chapter 7 - Resilience and Compassion
pp 60-67
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Chapter 8 - Self-Compassion
pp 68-74
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Chapter 9 - Compassion-Based Therapies
pp 75-82
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Part II - Practising Compassion
pp 83-116
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Chapter 10 - Cultivating Mindfulness and Awareness
pp 83-89
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Chapter 11 - Deepening Compassion
pp 90-97
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Chapter 12 - Developing Resilience
pp 98-105
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Chapter 13 - Building Compassionate Health Systems
pp 106-113
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Conclusions
pp 114-116
Compassionate Healthcare
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Index
pp 117-126
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A Practical Approach

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Why this information is here

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Content Navigation

Table of contents navigation

Index navigation

Reading Order and Textual Equivalents

Single logical reading order

Short alternative textual descriptions

Visual Accessibility

Use of colour is not sole means of conveying information

Structural and Technical Features

ARIA roles provided