Answer 2 for PHI 413 From the perspective of Christian spirituality and ethics, what is your understanding of compassionate caring that informs your approach to health and healing?

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Answer 2 for PHI 413 From the perspective of Christian spirituality and ethics, what is your understanding of compassionate caring that informs your approach to health and healing

Compassionate care is described as “the recognition, understanding, and emotional resonance with another’s concerns, distress, pain, or suffering” (Lown et al., 2011).

One of the tenets of the Christian faith is that human beings are created in the image of God (Bogue & Hogan, 2022). According to our Lord Jesus, the most important commandments are to love God with all our heart, mind, and soul and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Bogue & Hogan, 2022). As a nurse who practices Christianity, I extend this love to our patients as fellow humans. The world sees love as an emotion, but love is an action. Specifically, those actions which are taken for the benefit of the one who is loved. We are told that we must love in action and truth and not only in words. One way I do this as a nurse is through practicing the Christian virtue of Caritas, or Agape love. Agape is a commitment to act in a way that is loving, kind, and benefits the patient regardless of their mood, status, or appearance(Pembroke, 2019). This can be achieved by demonstrating both cognitive and emotional empathy. Cognitive empathy is understanding what another person is feeling from a detached view. Emotional empathy is feeling attuned to the emotions of the other person. Finally, compassion is the most important element, it is extending oneself, making oneself available to care for the needs of another through action. (Bogue, 2022). I believe these applied principles can provide the best holistic care to the patient.

Bogue, D. W. (2022). Foundational Issues in Christian Spirituality and Ethics. In M. Hogan (Ed.), Practicing Dignity: An Introduction to Christian Values and Ethics in Healthcare (2nd ed., pp. 13–14). essay, Grand Canyon University.

Lown, B.A., Rosen, J. & Martiila, J. (2011). An agenda for improving compassionate care: a survey shows about half of patients say such care is missing. Health Affairs, 30(9), 1772-1778. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2011.0539

Pembroke, N.  (2019) Empathic and compassionate healthcare as a Christian spiritual practice, Practical Theology, 12:2, 133-146, DOI: 10.1080/1756073X.2019.1586343

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