The Medicine of Compassion

Core Skills for the Human Side of Health Care

$265.00

An introductionary seminar for new health professionals and a refresher on the fundamentals for experienced staff. This candid and insightful new video gives instructors a practical way to introduce, discuss and develop compassion.

Beautiful production, original musical score and real-life scenes. First Prize 2004 International Health & Medical Media Award .

> Package Contents
> How do you teach Compassion?
> 7 Good Reasons to Cultivate Compassion in Your Staff
> Reviews
> About the production
> Download PDF Order Form
> Preview Video (5 minutes)

Package Contents

This package includes:

• 45-minute DVD or VHS-tape.
  Note: An abbreviated 30-minute version (excluding credits) is included on every tape or disk.
• 48-page Leader Guide with instructions on how to use the video as the basis for a 60-minute or 90-minute class, or for a 3-hour workshop. To custom-design your own class additional discussion questions, class exercises, and video index are included, plus resources for continued learning and suggestions for measuring progress.
• Handouts - formatted for easy copying. Three pages summarize the essential points of the video and expand upon them.

How do you teach Compassion?

According to Karen and Simon Fox, the best way to teach compassion is not to teach, but to inspire through real-life examples. Just as Adventures in Caring's volunteers have learned their skills from personal experiences, the camera follows doctors, nurses and care-givers into the world of real situations, real challenges and real emotions.

The video shows how compassion forms a bridge between the two very different worlds: the world of the busy health care professional and the anxious, uncertain world of the patient. When compassion is present patients feel confident about the care they receive and health care staff experience greater satisfaction when working in a partnership with patients.

Participants learn how to:

• Create rapport, listen well, and extend compassion even when busy
• Approach emotionally sensitive situations with confidence.
• Discover a patient's reasons and resources for healing.
• Avoid the pitfalls of inappropriate communication
• Earn the trust, respect and appreciation of those in their care.

The Medicine of Compassion is an ideal resource for:

• Hospitals and Medical Centers
• Hospices
• Long-Term Care Facilities
• Clinics and Medical Offices
• Emergency Services
• Professional Associations
• Nursing, Medical & Dental Schools
• Pre-Professional/Undergraduate Courses

“In our fast-paced, high-tech health care system we must be reminded that health care is about people and relationships. The Medicine of Compassion can be used by all health care educators to show the central elements of the art of medicine; compassion, listening, and communication. Bravo!”.

“Throughout history, compassion, caring, and love have been the foundation of healing. Without them, medical science and technology are inadequate. The Medicine of Compassion reminds us that these factors remain crucial in health care, as the greatest healers have always known”

“A valuable tool for any educator in health care. The principles shown are powerful. I have consistently seen my students’ lives transformed by putting such compassion into action. Not only does this benefit their professional lives in the field of health care, it also improves their relationships with friends and family.”

The Medicine of Compassion is excellent! This is practical compassion, and it is fundamental to building the partnerships with patients that produce better health care outcomes and better patient safety. Hospitals can improve the quality of care in a wide range of areas if they take this message to heart.”

“A great video for those who are just starting out in health care – and an excellent training tool for instructors who want to encourage compassion. The art of conveying compassion to patients is clearly shown as a practical, learnable skill.”

"I love the way this video gives a clear organization to the elements of compassion. The hunger for the human touch is well demonstrated and the family healing segment is very poignant. The pace and feeling of the video is just right, and the instruction is clear – beautiful work!."

"Unequivocally, The Medicine of Compassion will deepen staff awareness of our patients’ needs. Examples of staff and patient interaction throughout the film clearly illustrate the keys to skillful and sensitive communication. Implementing these skills will enhance our professionalism and make us better human beings at the same time."

"Your film is very much needed and will be a great asset to any health care training program. When I became ill with cancer I learned what it was like to be treated as a disease and not a person. Your lessons in empathy are an excellent way to ensure that practitioners are more aware of the impact that their behavior has on healing."

About the production of Communicating with Compassion:

The video is the result of 20 years of pioneering work in the human side of health care by Karen and Simon Fox, a team of volunteers & medical advisors - and video producer & composer Bent Myggen of VisionEars.com. Together they have created a DVD training program that illustrate the personal, subjective, emotional dimension of healing.

Several unusual filming and editing techniques were utilized in Communicating with Compassion. (and all other AiC productions):

• When filming on location no script or direction of subjects were used.
• All interviews were also unscripted
• Bent and Simon asked questions from, and behind the camera so our interviewees are looking directly into the lens, giving the viewer a much more personal impression than in a typical two-camera interview-setup.
• Finally, the editing and musical scoring is created simultaniously. This achieves a strong emotional flow for the whole production and sets the stage for the viewer's personal experience.