Compassion is involves feeling for a person who is suffering and being motivated to act to help the suffering person. Compassion is not only felt for those who know but also for those who we do not know. It is also including the ability to be non-judgmental, tolerate one’s own distress and being compassionate for ourselves (1). Compassion feeling is includes being empathic and having motivational behaviors and striving to alleviate the suffering of others. (2).
People unites in the time of the problem in which they show compassionate. Compassion unites building human relationships which can promotes both physical and mental health (3).
Respect for persons is frequently used synonymously with autonomy. However, it goes beyond accepting the notion or attitude that people have autonomous choice, to treating others in such a way that enables them to make the choice. Respecting the patient’s right to self-determination—that is, supporting decisions that reflect the patient’s personal beliefs, values, and interest’s problems (4) .
According to United Nations (UN) the biggest organization declarations that dignity the right that cannot be removed from of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world (5).
In United States (US) only 53% of patients and 58% of the physician has reported as health care system is providing compassionate care (6).
Compassion is frequently referenced as a hallmark of quality care by patients, health care providers, health care administrators, and policy makers. Despite its putative centrality, including its institution in recent health care reform, an empirical understanding based on the perspectives of patients, the recipients of compassion, is lacking making compassion one of the most referenced yet poorly understood elements of quality care (7). The Ethiopian Ministry of Health, the Health Sector Transformation Plan (HSTP) emphasizes provision of compassionate, respectful patient centered care’ to reduce maternal mortality ratio (MMR) as a top priority in efforts to improve quality and equity in service delivery by placing it as one of the agendas of the HSTP. As a means to reach this target, the plan specifies improving quality of health services by transforming how health care providers treat patients and clients. The compassionate, respectful and caring (CRC) health workforce initiative in this plan intends to address the concern of Disrespect and Abuse for clients, including laboring mothers (8).
There is increasing concern worldwide that despite the growing capabilities and sophistication of healthcare systems, there is a failure at a fundamental level with care and compassion (9). Even though it is known that provision of compassionate and respectful care is pivotal for quality health care, studies on CRC are limited.
The Ethiopian government has already established a CRC program and initiatives of health care services that are expanded beyond disease and death prevention activities. It must encompass respect for patients and fundamental human rights, including respect for patients ‘autonomy, dignity, feelings, preferences, and choice of friendship. Thus, this study aimed to assess the provision of compassionate, respectful and caring health care services among health care providers based on client’s perspective at western Ethiopia, Wollega zones.
Health care providers must have the qualities of compassion to provide compassionate care for their clients and families. A virtue which is noble quality embodied in the character of the health care provider that indicates compassion is predicated on health care provider virtues, and virtuous response independent of patient behavior, relatedness, or deservedness. Relational space is another quality that must exist from health care providers to be compassionate and respectful. In relational space the professional creates rapport between themselves and patients so that the client recognizes need of compassionate care and involve in the decision making. Eighty five percent of patients has agreed that compassionate care is necessary for successful medical outcomes and quality of care(6).
Regarding patient experience about compassionate care, Louise and Milika Nottingham UK showed that compassion was experienced by patients as caring attitude to people as people and not as a thing. When health care providers look attentively, touch gently on your shoulder it makes patients feel like human being. Such things show that they/health care providers/ are caring. The clients also stressed that even though some patients behave wrongly the patience of health care providers indicates respect for patients (10) .
The review of theoretical and empirical literatures indicated that respect for clients, family, and visitors is a fundamental human right, including respect for autonomy, dignity, feelings, choices, and health care preferences(11).
A study from United States of America (USA) showed that 35% of health care providers have poor listening skills(12) .
The overall implementation of compassionate, respectful and caring health care service by health care providers based on patients’ perspective in North East Ethiopia was 51.55%. Patients’ whose educational status is diploma and above experienced poor compassionate, respectful and caring health care service 3 times more likely compared with patients who were illiterate. Family monthly income and perception of patients towards health care service were other factors (13).
In modern health care, lack of compassionate and respectful care was identified in many areas of the world (14).
A study conducted in the Tigray region revealed that fifty five percent of the patients claimed health care providers were good at providing care with respect and compassionate manner. However, the remaining forth five of the clients who were served at the institutions complained health professionals are bad regarding respectful and compassionate care provision (15).
From the study which was conducted in Northern part of Ethiopia Bahir Dar 57% of the participants have received compassionate and respectful care while 43% of them have experienced at least one form of disrespectful care (16).
From the reports of patient complaints in Addis Ababa regarding not getting compassionate respectful care from health care providers, use of bad language or insulting, shouting at patients, mistreatment and hitting clients were un ethical practices by health care providers (HCPs) (17).