Mark Durkin

This paper reports on the development and evaluation of an online scenario based compassion intervention for nursing students. Reports suggest that nursing education programmes should include simulation based learning, and be developed using service users to help teach nursing students about compassionate care, and what it actually feels like to be the patient. In addition, many of the problems arise in hospital environments that are under immense pressure, both financially and to perform well with limited resources. The complex and resource constrained practice environment shapes how people act This underlines an additional need to include educational programs that can prepare nursing students for the reality of practice. In an attempt to address this, previous studies have used both simulation and online teaching environments to teach nursing students about empathy and compassion. Although results showed improvements in the delivery of empathy, confidence and understanding of compassion, very few, if any, have explored the effectiveness of online scenarios as a teaching intervention for nursing student’s compassion. To address this gap, eight nurse – patient scenarios, based on real life clinical experiences, were recorded and developed further with additional theoretical information in Articulate software package. A sample of nurse educators and nursing students participated in a short pilot study aimed at evaluating the experience and understanding of compassion from those using the intervention. The findings from the study are presented and the implication for nurse education discussed.

Compassion in nursing is an important moral virtue that forms the basis of ethical guidelines for practice (Dietze & Orb, 2000; Armstrong, 2000). However, identified compassion failures (UK) (Francis, 2013) have led to a renewed interest in championing it across nurse education programs. Debate exists as to whether compassion is an innate quality or something that can actually be taught (Bray et al, 2014; Johnson, 2013). Some argue that it can be taught combined with reflective practice, and should be even though evidence exists of it being overlooked in preregistration education (Benbow, 2016; Bramley & Matiti, 2014; Sinclair et al., 2010).
This paper reports on the design considerations for a self-evaluation online tool (built using Articulate) incorporating a compassionate strengths scale and patient case scenarios to assist nursing students in developing their strengths of compassion. The compassion strengths scale is employed as a tool for learners to self-evaluate areas where their compassion is strong and areas where development can occur. In this way it focus on what learners have rather than a deficit approach to build on the strong qualities and grow in areas where it is less so. A reference group of students also inform the content development and evaluate the functionality of the tool. The design is research informed (primary research) and pedagogically designed around a reflective model and collaboratively developed with academic, student and patient group contributions.
The purpose of the tool is to be used as an online curriculum intervention blended with classroom teaching content. Compassion is relevant all nursing practice and the tool is designed to include discipline specific case examples. It facilitates accessible education at a time place and pace according to learner requirements working in practice alongside their learning. The tool supports student’s development of lifelong learning and reflective self-evaluation of their compassion strengths. Overall the design is a unique approach employing content creation software to champion compassion education in nursing practice that could also be a basis for developing an Interprofessional learning approach with a wider stakeholder group