Development and implementation of the Compassionate 1 Curriculum: an educational initiative to improve the delivery of care to patients receiving involuntary orders for mental health emergencies.

Compassion is an indispensable attribute of quality healthcare, but enhancing compassion is seldom the focus of emergency healthcare improvement. The Compassionate 1 Project was launched in the St. Joseph's Emergency Department, Toronto, with a goal of reducing critical agitation events among patients receiving involuntary orders for mental health emergencies. This initiative sought to enhance compassion by improving the quality of communication and material comfort for this patient group. Here, we describe the first component of this project, a novel, whole-of-department educational initiative to teach the delivery of compassionate care to patients with mental health presentations. The second component of this project will evaluate the impact of this initiative in reducing critical agitation events.