Performance Health Partners
Empathy in healthcare has never been more important, as organizations increasingly struggle with resource shortages and escalating patient demands. Empathy and kindness offer psychological and physiological benefits to patient and providers alike, while bolstering the economic efficiency of patient care. By embedding kindness into their operations, healthcare organizations can enhance patient outcomes and cultivate a future where healing profoundly connects with the human spirit.
The Power of Kindness in Care
The term “kindness” derives from the Old English word for kinship, reflecting a sense of belonging to the same group or type. This etymology emphasizes the inherent human propensity to act with generosity and benevolence towards one another.
The American Psychological Association defines kindness as “a benevolent and helpful action intentionally directed toward another person.” This academic perspective lays the foundation for understanding the word’s broader implications.
Understanding the science behind kindness allows us to see how deeply it impacts human health and interpersonal relationships. Research demonstrates that kind actions can improve trust, reduce stress, and even alter biological processes such as immune responses and hormone regulation.
However, despite the personal acknowledgments of kindness, there is a noticeable disparity in perceptions at the societal level, according to a survey by Wakefield Research for Dignity Health.
While 95% of Americans consider themselves to be kind, nearly half (48%) perceive society as unkind. Moreover, 58% believe that U.S. culture—including media, public figures, and their communities—does not place a high value on kindness.
This disconnect suggests a need for a broader cultural shift to align individual behaviors with societal values, emphasizing the importance of nurturing empathy in more communal and public spheres, such as healthcare.
The Link Between Empathy in Healthcare and Positive Health Outcomes
Kindness has tangible, measurable effects on one’s health and care outcomes. For instance, a study by the “British Journal of Medical Practice” found that empathetic and kind interactions from healthcare providers can encourage adherence to treatment plans, resulting in significantly improved health outcomes.
Supporting this, research from Harvard Medical reveals that patients who perceive their healthcare providers as empathetic experienced better outcomes in terms of pain intensity, functional disability, and overall health-related quality of life.
Additionally, clinicians who behave compassionately or engage in acts of kindness have lower odds of making major medical errors. They are also more likely to be perceived by patients as competent and able to perform their duties efficiently.
Psychological Effects of Empathy in Healthcare
Kindness has psychological benefits for both the giver and the receiver, fostering a sense of connection and fulfillment that benefits both parties.
For patients, a kind interaction can create a feeling of being heard and valued, which is critical for building patient trust and encouraging treatment adherence. A study by Johns Hopkins University found that just 40 seconds of kindness, such as a simple reassurance like “We’ll go through this together,” can measurably lower a patient’s anxiety.
For healthcare providers, engaging kindly with patients can lead to increased job satisfaction, reduced fatigue, and a stronger sense of fulfillment in one’s career. Research supports this, finding that physicians who prioritized kind interactions not only experienced reduced depressive symptoms and increased happiness, but also reported fewer symptoms of physician burnout. As a bonus, their approach had a ripple effect, fostering kinder behaviors among other colleagues in the workplace.
Physiological Benefits of Kindness
The physiological effects of kindness are equally compelling. Kindness can positively impact your brain by boosting levels of serotonin and dopamine, which are neurotransmitters that produce feelings of satisfaction and well-being. Studies also highlight that kindness can reduce blood pressure and levels of cortisol—a stress hormone—in both patients and providers.
For patients, these benefits can lead to faster recovery times, fewer hospital readmissions, and improved overall health and quality of life. Healthcare providers also benefit from reduced stress, which empowers them to deliver more focused and high-quality care, enhancing their job fulfillment.
The Business Case for Empathy in Healthcare
Patient Satisfaction
Patient satisfaction is a key metric in modern healthcare influencing everything from reimbursement rates to public perception, and acts of empathy and kindness are consistently linked to higher patient satisfaction. An outstanding 87% of patients listed kind care from a physician as more important than even wait time, cost of care, or length of travel. It’s clear that the majority of patients place kindness as a top priority for satisfaction in their care experience.
Moreover, patients who feel they have received kind and empathetic care are more likely to provide positive patient feedback, recommend the healthcare facility to others, or remain loyal over time.
Interestingly, 90% of Americans would consider switching healthcare providers or physicians after receiving unkind treatment, and 88% would be willing to travel further to see a healthcare provider or physician who emphasized kindness when treating patients.
This willingness to prioritize kindness demonstrates its significant influence on patient choices and behaviors.
A study conducted by Press Ganey found that hospitals with higher satisfaction scores also reported better financial performance, underscoring the benefits of empathy in healthcare on both patient satisfaction and financial performance.
Economic and Organizational Benefits
The economic and organizational advantages of kindness in healthcare are substantial. So much so that a notable 72% of Americans indicate they would be willing to pay more for physicians who emphasize kindness when treating patients, highlighting the value placed on compassionate care.
Further, a study of the benefits of loving actions in the long-term care setting found that employee’s ratings of their culture of love and kindness were almost always positively associated with higher job satisfaction and positive employee engagement. This supports the idea that organizations with a culture of kindness have higher employee buy-in and commitment, factors that contribute to lower turnover rates and reduced recruitment costs, creating a more stable and less costly workforce.
Furthermore, leaders who exhibit compassion are more likely to inspire their team to work effectively and efficiently.
A study involving approximately 900 different employees found that 86% said they are more successful at balancing work and personal concerns when they have a leader focused on empathy in healthcare, while only 60% without a kind and empathetic leader felt successful in their work management.
Overall, kind, compassionate leadership is consistently linked to improved organizational culture and employee engagement.
Strategies for Fostering Empathy in Healthcare
Building a culture of empathy and kindness within a healthcare organization requires intentional strategies, strong leadership, and sustained commitment. Key approaches include:
- Awareness and Training Programs: Develop workshops and seminars that teach active listening, emotional intelligence, and compassionate communication skills. Group role-playing scenarios or team gatherings can help staff practice these skills in a psychologically safe environment.
- Recognition Systems: Establish mechanisms to celebrate and reward acts of kindness. Recognizing employees for their empathetic behaviors not only reinforces positive actions but also inspires others to follow suit.
- Patient-Centered Policies: Design policies that prioritize patient safety, comfort, and dignity. Examples include allowing flexible visiting hours, incorporating patient feedback into care plans, and ensuring that all interactions are conducted with kindness as well as respect. A lack of kindness often leads to poor communication and teamwork, factors that directly impact patient well-being.
- Empathy in Recruitment: During hiring processes, prioritize candidates who demonstrate a natural aptitude for clinical empathy and kindness or strong interpersonal skills. For example, during the interview process, management can ask situational questions such as, “Tell me about a time you noticed a colleague struggling emotionally. What did you do to support them?” or “You have a patient who refuses treatment due to fear or distrust. How do you approach them?” Behavioral interview questions and situational assessments can help evaluate a candidate’s ability to exhibit kindness or empathy even in challenging healthcare scenarios.
- Engaged and Compassionate Leadership: Leadership is the foundation of an empathetic culture in healthcare; therefore, executives and managers must model the behaviors they wish to see for real change to occur. When leadership prioritizes empathy, it sets the tone for the entire organization, making kindness and empathy core values rather than an afterthought or temporary initiative. Strategies for developing compassionate healthcare leadership require a shift from treating the organization as a machine to treating the organization as a complex, living system with interconnected parts.
Empathy in Action: Case Studies
Case Study: The Stanford Medicine Kindness Coalition (TKC)
Stanford Medicine has made strides in its efforts to integrate kindness into the healthcare space through The Kindness Coalition (TKC) initiative. The program emphasizes the transformative power of small, intentional acts of kindness, pledging a mission to “foster kindness among healthcare workers to create a more inclusive and collaborative healthcare environment.”
By creating a culture of compassion, the coalition has helped reduce stress among healthcare workers, improve communication, and enhance patient satisfaction.
For example, during a high-pressure night shift involving a life-threatening medical emergency, the early kindness shown by a doctor to a nurse proved pivotal. By introducing himself and acknowledging the nurse’s role with respect at the start of their shift, the doctor alleviated initial nervousness and enhanced their collaborative ability to manage the crisis effectively. This act underscores how a culture of kindness not only leads to better patient outcomes and safety but also strengthens communication and teamwork among staff.
TKC has effectively organized several initiatives to foster a culture of compassion among healthcare professionals. One key initiative, “Kindness Kickbacks,” brings together professionals from various departments monthly to network over refreshments. These events have consistently drawn large crowds, with hundreds of attendees from a diverse range of professions, emphasizing their widespread appeal and impact.
Additionally, TKC has implemented “Kindness Recognition Forms” that allow staff to shine a spotlight on their peers’ acts of kindness, with commendations being acknowledged by upper management. These efforts not only enhance interpersonal connections but also boost morale across the organization.
Case Study: NYC Health + Hospitals ICARE With Kindness Program
NYC Health + Hospitals has integrated kindness into its core mission through the “ICARE With Kindness” initiative. This program, which stands for Integrity, Compassion, Accountability, Respect, and Excellence, provides a structured approach to cultivating a compassionate work environment and care model, guiding the organization’s mission and interactions.
Among the initiative’s programs include the “Pulse Checkers” quality assurance team, which monitors and evaluates staff interactions to assess levels of kindness. Additionally, the organization has implemented a Kindness Pledge, mandatory ICARE With Kindness training led by their Service Excellence Program Managers and Ambassador Team, and the “All STARS” recognition system. This system awards staff members or teams with a “STAR” for demonstrating exceptional kindness, with over 11,000 STARS awarded in just two years, celebrating their dedication to upholding the organization’s core values.
“Creating a stronger, more accountable culture of kindness will benefit our patients and us, too, as we will all feel cared for, heard, and respected,” said Dr. Mitchell Katz, President and CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals.
The ICARE With Kindness Program exemplifies healthcare excellence by underscoring that strong relationships form the foundation for quality healthcare. This initiative demonstrates how fostering a positive relationship with oneself enhances workforce wellness, nurturing connections among staff boosts employee engagement, and engaging meaningfully with the community can improve patient experience.
Final Thoughts
Kindness and empathy have the potential to revolutionize patient care by reaching the heart of what it truly means to heal. By embracing kindness and empathy in healthcare at every level—from C-suite leadership to front-line staff—healthcare organizations can achieve better outcomes, foster a positive work culture, and secure long-term economic benefits and organizational success. Now is the time to prioritize kindness, and in doing so we have the power to transform not just healthcare but the lives it touches every single day.