Compassionate, respectful and caring behaviour of health professionals in primary healthcare delivery in sub-saharan Africa: A scoping review

Modern medicine has expanded its capacity to diagnose, treat, and cure various ailments that afflict humankind, but too often patients and families experience health care as impersonal, mechanical, and quickly discover that patienthood trumps personhood. Recent concerns about sub-optimal patient care and a lack of compassionate care have prompted policymakers to question the preparedness of health professionals for the challenging environment in which they practice. Patients do perceive and desire that health professionals be: respectful; express care and concern; and that information and decision making processes are tailored to their needs. The American academy of sciences identified providing patient-centered care as one of the six core competencies of health professionals to meet the health demands of patients in the 21st century. Patient-centered care requires that health professionals identify, respect, and care about patients’ differences, values, preferences, and expressed needs. This review aims to examine and map the evidence on compassionate, respectful and caring behavior of health professionals in primary health care delivery in Sub-Saharan Africa. This scoping review is currently registered with the Joanna Briggs Institute.

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Erko E, Abdulahi M, Sudhakar M, Hiko D, Seid K, Abdo N, et al. Compassionate, respectful and caring behaviour of health professionals in primary healthcare delivery in sub-saharan Africa: A scoping review. January 2017