Compassion is medicine: a patient safety perspective

Summary

Risa Mallory is a retired psychotherapist from Canada and a hub Topic leader. After a serious cardiovascular event in 2018 she became a patient advocate, collaborating with organisations across the globe. 

In this blog, Risa draws on personal experience, research, and her advocacy knowledge, to explain why compassion is critical to patient safety.

Content

When we talk about patient safety, the first things that often come to mind are checklists, protocols, and technologies designed to prevent errors. But there’s another equally powerful, yet often underestimated, element of safety: compassion. 

In healthcare, compassion isn’t a soft skill or an optional extra. It’s medicine in its own right.

Human connection

Compassion fosters connection. When clinicians approach care with empathy and genuine concern, patients feel safe to speak up—about their symptoms, their fears, and even when something doesn’t feel right. I know first-hand that open communication is a cornerstone of safety. There were substantial keystroke errors in my medical record that could have adversely affected my treatment, and only I was qualified to rectify them. Fortunately, the nurse was not only receptive of my lived experience knowledge, but welcomed it.

Many medical errors are caught not by systems or alarms, but by a patient’s voice—when that voice is welcomed and heard. 

From a patient’s perspective, the presence or absence of compassion can completely change an experience. A rushed conversation or a dismissive tone can discourage questions, leading to misunderstandings or missed information that could prevent harm. Conversely, when a healthcare professional takes the time to listen, validate, and explain, it builds trust and trust saves lives. During my inpatient cardiologist’s rounds, he consistently had one ‘foot out the door’. After a few days of feeling dismissed and not feeling heard, I invited him to sit down to answer questions I had prepared for him. Initially hesitant, he eventually complied and sat down every visit thereafter.

The power of compassion… for patients and staff

Research has shown that compassion in healthcare improves patient adherence to treatment, lowers anxiety and pain and reduces readmissions.[1,2] It also increases medical staff’s feelings of competence.[3,4] But its role in safety is just as important: compassion encourages partnership. When care teams and patients see each other as allies, safety becomes a shared responsibility rather than a top-down directive.

Compassion also protects healthcare workers. The culture of safety extends to the wellbeing of providers, too. Burnout, moral distress, and fatigue all erode safety. When healthcare systems prioritise compassion—not just toward patients, but within teams—they create environments where people feel valued, supported, and capable of delivering their best care. Compassion, in this sense, is both preventive and restorative medicine.

Small gestures can ground us in what truly matters

Embedding compassion into patient safety practices doesn’t require grand gestures. It can begin with small, human acts: making eye contact, calling patients by name, pausing to ask if they understand, or acknowledging their emotions before diving into data. These are simple actions that restore dignity, reduce fear, and open the door to safer care.

Patients, too, can be advocates for compassionate care. Speaking up, offering feedback, and reminding systems that safety is not only about precision but also about connection helps drive the culture change we need. Compassion invites partnership; partnership builds safety.

In a healthcare landscape increasingly defined by technology and efficiency metrics, compassion grounds us in what truly matters—the human relationship at the centre of healing. It bridges the gap between clinical excellence and emotional intelligence. It transforms care from a transaction into a collaboration. And, most importantly, it keeps us safe!

References

1. Watts E, Patel H, Kostov A, et al. The Role of Compassionate Care in Medicine: Toward Improving Patients' Quality of Care and Satisfaction. 2023. J Surg Res. 2023 Sep:289:1-7.

2. The Transformative Role of Nursing in Improving Clinical Outcomes and Patient Satisfaction: A Systematic Review. Vascular and Endovascular Review, 2025:8(3s), 101-109. 

3. Ahmed Z, Ellahham S, Soomro M, et al. Exploring the impact of compassion and leadership on patient safety and quality in healthcare systems: A narrative review. 2024. BMJ Open Quality, 13, e002651.

4. Tehranineshat B, Rakhshan M, Torabizadeh C et al. Compassionate Care in Healthcare Systems: A Systematic Review Journal of the National Medical Association. Journal of the National Medical Association. 2019:Volume 111, Issue 5, Pages 546-554.
 

More blogs by Risa

• The power of being heard in healthcare

• When lived experience is embedded at every stage of research

• Women’s heart health - a patient safety priority

• Why the patient voice matters when things go wrong
   

About the Author

Risa Mallory, a retired psychotherapist from Canada, became an advocate for patient healthcare following a serious cardiovascular event in 2018. Through her collaboration with local, national, and international healthcare organisations and institutions, she contributes the perspectives, priorities, and feedback of patients to healthcare decision-making at all levels, from individual care to organisational policymaking. She firmly believes that knowledge is power and that every individual can impact their health, and the health of their communities, through increased literacy, open dialogue, and advocacy.