Bakelants Hanne, Dury Sarah, Chambaere Kenneth, De Donder Liesbeth, Deliens Luc, Vanderstichelen Steven, Marynissen Silke, Cohen Joachim, Van Droogenbroeck Filip
Department of Adult Educational Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium.
End-of-Life Care Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and Ghent University, Brussels and Ghent, Belgium.
Palliat Care Soc Pract. 2024 Aug 31;18:26323524241272110. doi: 10.1177/26323524241272110. eCollection 2024.
Compassionate communities have been put forward as a promising model for community-based support for people facing serious illness, caregiving, dying, and loss. In particular, educational institutions are increasingly acknowledged as potential settings to function as compassionate schools and compassionate workplaces, cultivating acceptance and validation of these experiences beyond the university setting.
This paper investigates the activities and outcomes of a compassionate community initiative-the Compassionate University program at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Belgium.
Ripple Effects Mapping was used to guide the focus group and individual interviews conducted with core team members responsible for the development and implementation of the Compassionate University program.
During the focus group and individual interviews, the core team members reflected on the program contributions, with their narratives visually depicted via a hand-drawn mind map. Qualitative data derived from this mind map were entered into XMIND mapping software and fine-tuned based on the focus group and individual interview transcripts and additional project records.
Thematic analysis identified four outcome areas that encapsulate the key contributions of the Compassionate University program: (i) increased acceptance and integration of topics such as serious illness, death, and bereavement into existing practices; (ii) broader support for and formalization of compassionate procedures and policies; (iii) emergence of informal networks and internal collaboration on the topics; and (iv) diffusion of compassionate ideas beyond the university.
The Compassionate University program facilitates a cultural shift within the university environment, fostering greater acceptance of integrating topics such as serious illness, death, and bereavement into existing practices. Additionally, compassionate procedures and policies for students and staff have been formalized, and core team members are increasingly called upon to provide support on these matters. Notably, Compassionate University stands out as one of the pioneering initiatives in Europe, attracting different educational institutions seeking guidance on cultivating a more compassionate environment.
关爱社区已被提出，作为一种有前景的模式，为面临重病、护理、死亡和丧失亲人之痛的人们提供基于社区的支持。特别是，教育机构越来越被视为有可能成为关爱学校和关爱工作场所的环境，在大学环境之外培养对这些经历的接纳和认可。
本文调查了一项关爱社区倡议——比利时布鲁塞尔自由大学的关爱大学项目的活动和成果。
采用涟漪效应映射法来指导对负责关爱大学项目开发和实施的核心团队成员进行的焦点小组访谈和个人访谈。
在焦点小组访谈和个人访谈期间，核心团队成员反思了该项目的贡献，他们的叙述通过手绘思维导图直观呈现。从这张思维导图中获取的定性数据被输入到XMIND映射软件中，并根据焦点小组访谈和个人访谈记录以及其他项目记录进行微调。
主题分析确定了四个成果领域，概括了关爱大学项目的关键贡献：（i）将重病、死亡和丧亲之痛等主题更多地纳入现有实践并实现整合；（ii）对关爱程序和政策给予更广泛的支持并使其正式化；（iii）围绕这些主题形成非正式网络并开展内部合作；（iv）关爱理念在大学之外得到传播。
关爱大学项目促进了大学环境中的文化转变，促使人们更能接受将重病、死亡和丧亲之痛等主题纳入现有实践。此外，针对学生和教职员工的关爱程序和政策已正式确立，核心团队成员越来越多地被要求在这些问题上提供支持
