Featured Projects

Compassion is essential to high-quality healthcare, yet many providers struggle to sustain it amid growing workloads, emotional demands, and organizational pressures. Dr. Shane Sinclair and his research team have spent more than a decade examining compassion from the perspectives of patients, clinicians, and health system leaders. Their work led to the development of the EnACT Compassion Training Program, a validated, evidence-based approach now being adopted across care settings in Canada. 

Key findings:

• Clear evidence base: Studies across acute care and long-term care settings identified specific behaviours, relational skills, and organizational enablers that reliably shape patient experiences of compassion.
• Benefits for providers: EnACT has been shown to increase compassion competence, reduce burnout, and strengthen clinicians’ confidence in addressing suffering and providing compassion.
• Benefits for patients: Patients cared for by EnACT-trained providers report higher ratings of compassion, improved communication, and stronger therapeutic relationships. 

The EnACT program is accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. It can be completed online or in-person. It integrates theory, clinical practice, experiential learning, and self-care strategies. Participants earn CME/CPD credits, receive a comprehensive workbook, and achieve recognition as Certified Compassionate Care Providers.

This work is helping healthcare organizations build cultures where compassion can flourish, enhancing patient experience and workforce wellbeing.