How important is compassionate leadership in the healthcare industry? In the “A Discussion of Compassionate Leadership” panel at the 2019 Compassion in Action Conference hosted by the Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare, four healthcare industry leaders discussed the importance of setting the tone from the top in order to create a culture of compassion in healthcare, and gave the audience a view of the concrete ways that they are seeking to do so in their institutions.
The panel was in general agreement with each other on the primary points of discussion. It was particularly good to hear the consistent view expressed from the dais that there is no conflict between compassion and leadership, nor between compassion and business. Compassionate support is a requirement for providing the most effective medical care possible – it is a non-negotiable.
Unfortunately, some view compassionate services as costly or operationally challenging. On the other hand, the panelists were in full agreement that a compassionate environment supports business objectives. At the Center for Compassionate Leadership, we look at the ways that compassion supports common humanity while also building business excellence.
“A Discussion of Compassionate Leadership” panel, L-R: Peter Slavin, MD, Laura Crooks, Akram Boutros, MD, FACHE, Richard J. Baron, MD, MACP. Photo Credit: Center for Compassionate Leadership.
Laura Crooks, CEO, Children’s Village of Yakima, stated it simply, “Compassion is not a zero-sum game.” You can have compassion for staff, for patients, and for families, and the compassion for each of these does not come at the expense of compassion for the others. Peter Slavin, MD, President, Massachusetts General Hospital, Professor, Harvard Medical School, stated “Delivering compassionate care is perhaps the most potent marketing we can do,” and cited specific research data showing that the more satisfied patients are with their care, the more likely they are to return.
While at the conference, we learned of the valuable work carried out by The Daisy Foundation in recognizing extraordinary nurses. So, it was no surprise that each of the three hospital administrators affirmed the importance in their hospitals, and in their own actions, of recognizing such high-performing nurses. Dr. Slavin, again: “If you want to take care of your patients, take care of your staff.” Providing compassionate healthcare to the hospitalized and their families can be very draining to the frontline staff. The evidence of the value of nurse recognition explains the unanimity of commitment from the panelists.
An additional task the panel focused on was empowering staff to be free to make choices that lead to compassionate care. According to Ms. Crooks, “Give people as much authority as appropriate, and be clear to them about what the limits of their authority are.” Implicit in the management style advocated by panelists was the recognition that mistakes would happen, and that they must be met supportively and lead to positive learning. Akram Boutros, MD, FACHE, President and CEO, The MetroHealth System, Cleveland, expressed the irony of an environment with no mistakes: “If you aren’t failing, you aren’t living to your full potential.” The views on creating a culture of learning from mistakes showed that these leaders understood the principles outlined in a later keynote by Amy Edmondson on psychological safety.
The discussion was facilitated expertly by Richard J. Baron MD, MACP, President and CEO of American Board of Internal Medicine, who closed the session with an ideal summary statement: “We are in a service profession. Science is meant to be used in the service of people. That’s where the compassion comes in.”