Compassion has historically been defined as an underpinning principle of work conducted by health professionals, especially nurses.1 Numerous definitions of compassionate care exist, incorporating a range of elements. Most include a cognitive element: understanding what is important to the other by exploring their perspective; a volitional element: choosing to act to try and alleviate the other’s disquiet; an affective element: actively imagining what the other is going through; an altruistic element: reacting to the other’s needs selflessly; and a moral element: to not show compassion may compound any pain or distress already being experienced by the other.
https://qualitysafety.bmj.com/content/26/12/1023


Advocacy for employees can take many forms, but ultimately it is about creating a work environment where employees feel valued, supported, and empowered to do their best work. When employees feel good about their jobs, they are more likely to provide high-quality patient care. Advocacy can also help to ensure that employees have the resources they need to do their jobs effectively, which can directly improve patient outcomes.

Care advocates and counselors can assist critically ill employees in navigating the labyrinth of health care settings. It is most common for these services to be provided by an employer-purchased health plan or, if not, can be purchased separately. A single point of contact streamlines the process, allowing the patient to concentrate solely on herself. Insurance companies are responding to the growing number of employers who require these services.


In ordinary English, advocacy has two related meanings. One meaning is “public support for or recommendation of a particular cause or policy.” The other meaning is “The profession or work of a legal advocate.” A number of empirical studies have examined the concept of patient advocacy from the patients’ and nurses’ perspectives. Based on these studies, attributes of patient advocacy are as follows: empowerment of the client, informing, valuing and respecting, protection, continuity of care, follow-up, empathy with patients, counseling, responding, shielding, and whistle-blowing.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/09697330198329...