Cultivating kindness in healthcare facilities: a quadruple approach to the quadruple aim.

The importance of physician well-being has been increasingly recognised in the last decade with an improved understanding of the prevalence and drivers of occupational and moral distress in healthcare workers. High rates of burnout have significant costs at both the individual and organisational level, with follow-on effects impacting staff turnover and patient care. Healthcare facilities have a responsibility to prioritise physician well-being and should adopt a structured and comprehensive approach to this aspect of healthcare delivery. Kindness is a significant factor impacting professional fulfilment and can reduce stress and burnout in healthcare workers. Acts of kindness and prosocial behaviours have widespread benefits, impacting the giver, receiver and even observer of the kind act. Moreover, kindness in the delivery of healthcare not only has a profound impact on patient satisfaction, but can positively influence medical outcomes. Healthcare facilities should thus cultivate kindness in the workplace as a guiding principle for all interactions and promote prosocial behaviours that improve the working environment for all staff. This paper discusses the importance of kindness in healthcare and presents a comprehensive kindness strategy implemented in our facility which encourages a fourfold approach of kindness to self, others, the community and the environment.