What's the role of kindness in the healthcare context? A scoping review.

Introduction: The role of kindness in healthcare is receiving increased attention. Indeed, international research shows that a culture of kindness has a positive impact on healthcare organizations, healthcare staff members, and patients. Benefits include better patient outcomes, as well as a humanized work environment, which helps to prevent stress and burnout among healthcare workers. Studies across different settings suggest that healthcare managers need to foster not only technical and organizational skills, but also social skills such as empathy and kindness. The purpose of this scoping review is to provide an overview of the current research landscape regarding initiatives based on acts of kindness in healthcare organizations. We will also explore whether this is a topic of interest to academics, which countries have conducted the most research on the subject, the practical implications for healthcare management, and potential directions for future research.

Methods: This scoping review was conducted using the Arksey and O'Malley framework. A search was performed in the electronic databases ScienceDirect, Pubmed and Web of Science, to identify studies published in English between 1994 and 2023 describing or evaluating kindness-based interventions in the healthcare context. Based on the predefined eligibility criteria, screening and studies selection were performed. Data were extracted and analyzed descriptively to summarize the evidence.

Results: 19 studies were analyzed and included in the review. The article assessment revealed four categories: 1) organizational culture; 2) burnout reduction and staff well-being; 3) staff education / training; and 4) communication and patient experience. Kindness in healthcare is a relatively new topic, but of great scientific interest. The countries most interested in the topic are English speaking (with a particular interest in category 2) and Western European, and the methodology most commonly used to investigate this topic is qualitative.

Conclusions: The need for additional research on kindness in healthcare arises from a complex and dynamic healthcare environment, where the concept of kindness holds the potential to revolutionize the quality of care and the well-being of healthcare providers. The interest of the various countries in the 4 thematic categories proposed by the study and the performance results of healthcare organizations promoting kindness compared to others without this focus also bear further consideration.