A compassionate pause

Abstract

Professional health communication is full of challenging, difficult conversations: difficult news, or families or colleagues in difficulty - who themselves become labelled as difficult. Before these conversations, transitioning from a busy clinical environment, clinicians may attempt to leave other concerns behind them by taking a deep breath and creating a space in which to … pause. The literature around these conversations focuses on intelligent execution: skills, strategies, frameworks and acronyms to facilitate training in communication skills [[1], [2], [3]]. Empathy and responding to emotions are recognised as important parts of these frameworks, which can be helpful, but alone they are not enough to ensure a human and compassionate connection. Excellence in communication requires high and focused intention and sincere effort. The challenge, with these conversations, is that they are emotionally charged. We need to reframe them from difficult conversations with another to that of an empathic connection in our common humanity, from which a wise, compassionate response is exercised.