Compassion training for healthcare professionals in oncology: A mixed-methods pilot study

Purpose: Care and treatment within oncology is characterized by significant emotional demands from healthcare professionals resulting in burnout and distress. We examined the effect of compassion training on healthcare professionals using a mixed-methods explanatory sequential design. Methods: Oncology healthcare professionals underwent four weeks compassion training program. Participants completed the Self-Compassion and Professional Quality of Life Health questionnaires at baseline and post-training. Two focus group interviews were conducted using interpretive description methodology. Results: A total of 22 healthcare professionals participated. Four weeks of compassion training resulted in significantly improved overall Self-Compassion score (3.8 vs 4.0; P = 0.019), Self-Kindness (3.7 vs 4.0; P = 0.028), Self-Judgement (3.7 vs 4.0; P = 0.05), and Common-Humanity (3.9 vs 4.1; P = 0.013). Participants who did not complete the training (N = 9) versus those who completed (N = 13) had statistically significantly lower overall Self-Compassion scores (3.0 vs. 3.8; P = 0.004) and lower Self-Kindness (2.8 vs. 3.7; P = 0.04), Self-Judgement (2.9 vs. 3.7; P = 0.036), Common-Humanity (3.0 vs. 3.9; P = 0.036), Isolation (2.9 vs. 4.1; P = 0.001), and Over-Identification (2.9 vs. 3.4; P = 0.030). They also scored lower in Professional Quality of Life Health measures, including Compassion-Satisfaction (22.7 vs. 26.9; P = 0.011) and Perceived-Support (19.6 vs. 24.8; P = 0.007), while scoring higher for Burnout (19.2 vs. 12.7; P = 0.001), Secondary-Traumatic-Stress (14.0 vs. 10.6; P = 0.036), and Compassion-Fatigue (15.4 vs. 11.6; P = 0.001). The focus group interviews revealed four themes: Impact of Leader Approval, Project Manager, Work-Related Stress, and Calm Mind. Conclusion: Four weeks of compassion training significantly improved self-compassion. Healthcare professionals who did not complete the training had lower levels of self-compassion and professional quality of life.