The effects of compassion-based feedback on wellbeing ratings during a professional assessment healthcare task.

Background

There is a need for higher education policy to consider how student nurses might be supported to help them to develop the resilience and mental wellbeing needed to cope with stressful environments. Reviews and qualitative research in this area suggest that compassion can improve wellbeing, however, compassion-based feedback is yet to be explored as a pedagogical intervention using quantitative methods.

Purpose

To explore the effect of different feedback types on subjective wellbeing.

Methods

In this experimental design, nursing students were presented with three feedback types, 'compassion-based feedback, simple descriptive feedback, and utilitarian feedback' and were asked to provide post-trial ratings of subjective wellbeing, in relation to each type, whilst undertaking a nursing-related task. Participants also rated the helpfulness of 'Type of Feedback'.

Results

We report a significant difference of 'Type of Feedback' with higher ratings of wellbeing when participants were presented with compassion-based feedback.

Conclusion

Compassion-based feedback could lead to higher wellbeing in educational tasks related to nursing.