Compassionomics: The Revolutionary Scientific Evidence that Caring Makes a Difference

by Stephen Trzeciak, Anthony Mazzarelli, Cory Booker (Foreword)

A 34-year-old man fighting for his life in the Intensive Care Unit is on an artificial respirator for over a month. Could it be that his chance of getting off the respirator is not how much his nurses know, but rather how much they care? A 75-year-old woman is heroically saved by a major trauma center only to be discharged and fatally struck by a car while walking home from the hospital. Could a lack of compassion from the hospital staff have been a factor in her death? Compelling new research shows that health care is in the midst of a compassion crisis. But the pivotal question is Does compassion really matter? In The Revolutionary Scientific Evidence that Caring Makes a Difference, physician scientists Stephen Trzeciak and Anthony Mazzarelli uncover the eye-opening data that compassion could be a wonder drug for the 21st century. Now, for the first time ever, a rigorous review of the science - coupled with captivating stories from the front lines of medicine - demonstrates that human connection in health care matters in astonishing ways. Never before has all the evidence been synthesized together in one place. You will see compelling evidence - Compassion has vast benefits for patients across a wide variety of conditions - Missed opportunities for compassion can have devastating health effects - Compassion can help reverse the cost crisis in health care - Compassion can be an antidote for burnout among health care providers - 40 seconds of compassion can save a life After seeing all the evidence, the answer is crystal Compassion matters...in not only meaningful but measurable ways.

Genres: Nonfiction, Medicine, Leadership, Science, Medical, Psychology, Audiobook

504 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 30, 2019

About the author

Stephen Trzeciak, MD, MPH is a physician scientist, Chief of Medicine at Cooper University Health Care, and Professor and Chair of Medicine at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University in Camden, New Jersey. Dr. Trzeciak is a practicing intensivist (specialist in intensive care medicine), and a clinical researcher with more than 120 publications in the scientific literature. Dr. Trzeciak's publications have been featured in prominent medical journals, such as: JAMA, Circulation, and The New England Journal of Medicine. His scientific program has been supported by research grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), with Dr. Trzeciak serving as Principal Investigator.

Dr. Trzeciak is the co-author of two books, Compassionomics: The Revolutionary Scientific Evidence that Caring Makes a Difference (2019), and Wonder Drug: 7 Scientifically Proven Ways That Serving Others Is the Best Medicine for Yourself (2022). His work has been featured in numerous media outlets including CNN, NPR, USA TODAY, The Washington Post, The New York Daily News, and Freakonomics. For this work, he was awarded the Influencers of Healthcare Award by The Philadelphia Inquirer. Broadly, Dr. Trzeciak’s mission is to raise compassion and kindness globally, through science.

Dr. Trzeciak is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame. He earned his medical degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and his Master’s of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He completed his residency training at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and his fellowship in critical care medicine at Rush University Medical Center. He is board certified in internal medicine, critical care medicine, and neurocritical care.

Reviews

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's nothing "revolutionary" here. As the authors repeatedly point out, this is all old news. So what would be interesting maybe is if they had succeeded at implementing what they call "compassion" in a medical center in the USA and then demonstrated huge benefits for population health. But they don't do that. They go over the evidence on the benefits of caring/healing/nursing/doctor-patient relationship/bedside manner/art of medicine, etc. But they keep mixing apples and oranges, not just for the inputs but also for the outputs (perceived compassion, lab tests, physician burnout, whatever), and they mix up all kinds of different studies, ranging from weak to strong. Why not just stick with strong studies about interventions that improve relevant clinical outcomes? Also, everything gets illustrated with anecdotes that don't prove anything scientifically and aren't really necessary to aid understanding because this is all "common sense" in the first place.

Alternatives on related topics:
Cure: A Journey into the Science of Mind Over Body
God's Hotel: A Doctor, a Hospital, and a Pilgrimage to the Heart of Medicine
Educating For Professionalism: Creating A Culture Of Humanism In Medical Education

[Suyu Zhang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life changing. Period. Burnout. Resilience. Patient outcomes. Healthcare cost. Medical Education. Growth Mindset. Compassion. Rigorous scientific, historical and philosophical research packed into a knock out blow to highlight the problem in healthcare. We can’t run away from the truth if we want to tackle the most important challenges. And it starts with being honest about how biased cynicism can be. Compassion and kindness is often dismissed as fluff or weak science, but it is apparent, proven scientifically even, that the dismissal of “compassion and kindness as fluff” is in actuality the actual fluff. It is high time that those who say “we can’t”, get out of the way of those who “are doing it”. There are so many things that we can do to improve healthcare, and our society. Let belief in compassion, so powerfully supported by rigorous scientific research and evidence, guide you. Lets go tackle those challenges : social justice, health care for all, economic inequality, climate change and etc, wholeheartedly. This book highlights, nothing more than fear, ignorance, and half baked quack intellectual cynicism stands in the way of good people trying to push for change.

[NEON8L · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must read for those who believe that compassion is just part of the art of medicine. Written by two intensivists who have done many systematic literature reviews, this book gives evidence that there is also science behind compassion and its outcomes. Compassion, it turns out, is not only good for the receiver, but also for the giver. Therefore, compassion is part of the art AND the science of medicine. This book is quite unique in its genre.

[Emma Cait · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible! If you are in the medical field, this book is a must read. It was so inspiring and had so many interesting points about applying compassion when working in healthcare.
For instance, the conventional attitude is that if you are burnt out, you need to take a step back and not connect with patients. However, as this books displays, leaning in and having compassion for your patients is actually better at treating and preventing burnt out. It turns out that compassion is actually a coping mechanism for stressful situations. I definitely learned a lot from this book and hope to apply not just at work, but in my everyday life as well.

[Jennifer James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compassionomics: The Revolutionary Scientific Evidence That Caring Makes a Difference by Stephen Trzeciak and Anthony Mazzarelli compiles the results of multiple studies over years of research into how compassion affects medical outcomes. The results were astonishing. Compassion reduces anxiety and pain, speeds up healing, and encourages people to comply with the recommendations of their doctors. Medical programs with enhanced compassion training show overwhelmingly that compassion in medicine is essential for health and wellbeing.

[Meagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for healthcare professionals of all kinds! This book highlights the transformative power of compassion—not only for the patients we serve but also for the providers themselves. Without compassion for both, the mission cannot be fulfilled.

Although written with healthcare in mind, our society is facing a broader compassion shortage. The principles in this book are valuable for anyone and would be beneficial for all to learn from and apply.

[Lydia Uden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always useful to see the evidence for the importance of compassion in healthcare, but very interesting to see how little time it takes and its protective power against burnout.

[Jim Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highest recommendation for anyone who cares for patients or will ever become a patient. Written mainly to convince physicians that we need to embrace compassion (empathy with action) as a key strategy for improving care and avoiding burnout. Resonates widely with nurses since they have long embraced these ideas.

[Nigel Rajaretnam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not many books I would read again, but this is one of them.

Actively trying to incorporate compassion into my daily work as a surgeon and I am reaping the rewards. I feel more and more patients I take care of feel like they are listened to, and although on occasion I may not be able to offer what they are hoping for, they still walk away happy.

Will use these skills daily, and try to get better. It only takes an extra 40 seconds!

[Ailith Twinning · Rating 1 out of 5]

I intensely dislike many of the repeated phrases of this book, largely because they are said without context or confidence. "Well Verified" being a prime example. I know what it'd mean if I wrote it, but given a few things they applied it to, it seems to mean "In more than one paper", with no further requirement, and the assertion that self-reported surveys can be trusted "because they are anonymized" and so misreporting information/lying is "highly unlikely" is just plain cute naivety-- everyone knows people lie in self reports, for all kinds of reasons, including "just because" -- never mind getting people to admit to medical malpractice anonymously. But let's take their every assertion as given, because my skepticism is mostly about nitpicks anyway, and address the heart of the book, because it is broken.

There's a chapter, from which the name likely comes (a la "Freakonomics") which makes the corporate culture case for the profitability of compassion.

Capitalism is antithetical to compassion. Full bloody stop.

Unfortunately, this book is making the case for compassion from the perspective that it is entirely reasonable (but wrong)to think compassion mightn't effect healthcare, that caring for the homeless is a worthless endeavor, that compassion is unprofitable, and that one can't learn to be a better person -- and also that it is entirely reasonable (and correct) to say that healthcare is a business; and, while it is certainly worthwhile to discuss how to make it more profitable and competitive, and how to put more of the cost onto the 'consumer', it is certainly not appropriate to question the exploitation of labour, the capitalization of sickness, or the commodification of medicine.

Healthcare does not, and cannot, exist thru capitalism. It persists in spite of it, held back by what certainly is a business, in the way healthcare cannot be, hospitalization and specialization as service.

The authors, people who contributed thru them, even the narrator, they all seem like, well-meaning, liberals. Liberalism is the enemy of compassionate care and society. The very approach of this book, as if compassion were an alien, and counter-intuitive, concept, is evidence as much.

I think this book does more harm than good for its nominal cause.

P.S.

Insert some musings on the compassionate care available from various sorts of "alternative" healers here. There's a reason I legitimately felt better, for weeks, after getting a tarot reading -- and it wasn't because I believed in fairies (to be quite clear, I do not). It's because that was the most compassionately I can ever remember having been treated. Maybe that doesn't generalize, but I'd want evidence to that effect, particularly given the cruelty of Professionals, which, this book itself treats as fairly typical. This book seems to have deliberately both side-stepped and insulted that idea.

[Sudha · Rating 1 out of 5]

I believe in the importance of compassion in healthcare. I fully understand why this book was written, and I support the effort to educate others on "compassionomics."
Let's be clear - my gripe with this book is not with the subject matter. It's with the way it was written. I had to read this book for a class, and I simply could NOT get through it. I read a few chapters and ended up skimming the rest.

My first problem is with the way this book is written is that they dragged out each thought. What could've been said in 1 paragraph took 3. I could've excused this problem. But, I couldn't get over the second problem--my biggest problem with this book: it was written conversationally. But not like a normal conversation. No, it was written to match the one-sided conversation you have with your know-it-all, thinks-he's-your-friend-but-he-isn't-really acquaintance that drives you insane. I just couldn't handle it.

[doctorvaughan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2022
I could only make it to chapter nine, the next to the last chapter. The author abuses published studies on at least two accounts. The first time I noticed it was early in the book, possibly around chapter three. The author has been reviewing objective evidence to prove his point previously. Then he argues that evidence is not needed because of “common sense.” Then in the early part of chapter nine he proposes that larger hippocampi discovered in London can drivers cannot be due to a difference in people drawn to that profession. He states neuroplasticity is the only plausible explanation before presenting evidence for this conclusion, and the evidence is not from prospective randomized studies on the subjects. It leaves the reader to wonder how much of the rest of the book may be influenced by less obvious bias. I wish someone could rewrite the book more objectively.

[Janet Tawes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully written... what a shame that MD’s, RN’s and other healthcare workers have allowed ignorant, money hungry others to fail our most vulnerable. I was fired for being too compassionate/ passionate from a large hospice. What s disgrace !!! God help us...

[Suz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book should be a required reading for healthcare providers. Through countless studies, the authors highlight the physiological and psychological impact compassion has on patient outcomes and the wellbeing of the providers caring for them. It’s truly astonishing. Great read!

[Liz Licata · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good information, but atrocious writing style.

[Nicky Koon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rather redundant, and then too much emotion to go with all the data. If the data is as amazing as you say, no need to use exclamation points.

[Walt Kasmir · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Compassionomics: The Revolutionary Scientific Evidence that Caring Makes a Difference" by Dr. Stephen Trzeciak and Dr. Anthony Mazzarelli is a seminal work that delves into the often-underestimated power of compassion in healthcare. The authors, both of whom are physicians, present a compelling case backed by rigorous scientific evidence to show that compassion is not just a moral imperative but also a quantifiable variable that can improve patient outcomes and even reduce healthcare costs.

The book is structured in a way that appeals to both the scientific community and the general public. It starts with a comprehensive review of over 1,000 scientific abstracts and more than 250 research papers, providing a robust foundation for the authors' arguments. The data-driven approach is particularly engaging, offering empirical evidence that compassion has measurable benefits, not just for patients but also for healthcare providers. This is a refreshing perspective, especially in an era where healthcare is often criticized for its dehumanizing aspects and focus on efficiency at the expense of patient care.

What makes "Compassionomics" truly revolutionary is its ability to bridge the gap between the 'soft' aspects of medicine—like empathy and patient-provider relationships—and 'hard' metrics such as reduced hospital stays, lower medication costs, and improved patient satisfaction scores. The authors argue that compassion is far from being an abstract, immeasurable quality; it can and should be quantified to improve the quality of healthcare delivery.

The book also addresses the skepticism that often surrounds the subject of compassion in a clinical setting. It tackles the myth that compassion is a finite resource and could lead to burnout among healthcare providers. On the contrary, the authors present evidence that shows compassion can be a renewable resource that enhances professional satisfaction and mental well-being for healthcare workers.

As a behavioral expert and neurophilosopher with a background in cognitive neuroscience, you might find the book's focus on the neurobiological mechanisms of compassion particularly intriguing. The authors delve into how compassion triggers the release of neurotransmitters like oxytocin, which not only benefits the patient but also has a positive impact on the healthcare provider, creating a virtuous cycle.

In terms of its writing style, "Compassionomics" strikes a balance between being authoritative and conversational. It doesn't shy away from presenting complex scientific data, but it does so in a manner that is accessible. The use of real-life case studies adds a narrative element that makes the book engaging and relatable.

[Jim Pryde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: This review is for the Audible version.

I discovered this title after seeing it referenced in Dr. Joseph Stern's "Grief Connects Us: A Neurosurgeon's Lessons on Love, Loss, and Compassion." After seeing it recommended there, my expectations were pretty high, as that was an excellent book. In my lifetime, I have had multiple interactions with doctors and nurses, compassionate and not, in NICUs, oncology, and cardiology. Given its tack of research-backed evidence for the use of compassion in healthcare and my own research projects in my Communication master's program, I found the presentation of research studies to be pretty exhaustive, referencing 1,000 abstracts and 250 full research articles. Since this is an audiobook, the reference list is not included, but I do intend to look up some of the studies referenced.

As a consumer of American healthcare, I am very skeptical of some of the recommendations. As an example, in chapter 12, research is presented that supports the argument that compassionate care reduces the number of tests and procedures ordered for patients. I assume that anyone listening to this title waits (and waits) for the authors to say, "And this is why compassionate care is not standard operating procedure in American healthcare." More tests equals more revenue and profits.

I did appreciate the inclusion of what compassion does inside the brain when it is practiced. As someone who volunteers for a Children's hospital, this jibes with my own values, and touches upon the "why" I do what I do (See Simon Sinek's books about finding your why.)

Now, how much of the research presented here is simply correlation is up for interpretation and argument. It appears to be my own mindset about healthcare, but some of this is simply not realistic, particularly in the United States. I would love to see these principles be commonplace across all disciplines, but I doubt that will happen. With that said, though, there is value in the message and ample evidence to suggest that training for medical staff in compassion and empathy can actually reduce costs for consumers and providers. That's a tough sell, though.

The one true negative of this title is the narration. If you listen to the Stern book I referenced at the beginning of this review, you will find a narrator whose voice fits the message. That is simply not the case with this title. Abrupt, intense, and annoying, with multiple errors and desperate need of a microphone pop filter, it was a challenging title to listen to. Given the references are not included, I will likely pick up a Kindle or paper version of this title to examine the list of studies cited.

[Jane · Rating 1 out of 5]

Has good ideas and obviously a lot of research behind those ideas, but reads like a high schooler blatantly disregarded the word count on an essay. Each chapter makes an argument for why compassion should be at the forefront of medical care, then uses the rest of the chapter to repeat itself. This book desperately needs an editor to cut about half of its content, and the authors would have a much more compelling book if they had taken the time to weave any sort of narrative into their writing. Each and every page contains this at least once: “a study was conducted about how compassion helps medical care. The study found this. That means that you should care about compassion.”

This book also really, really struggles to find its audience - as both a member of the medical community and a human that visits doctors, I had no idea whether this book was speaking to invigorate healthcare providers into being more compassionate or to tell patients that they’re getting lackluster care when they don’t feel compassion.

[Cris · Rating 2 out of 5]

COMPASSION IS ESSENTIAL IN HEALTHCARE. El concepto es importante, crítico e interesante, pero con leer el meta-análisis que realizaron los autores es suficiente para comprender los puntos clave del tema, ahorrándote la leída del libro. El libro me pareció exageradamente redundante, y no me aportó soluciones concretas al problema. Yo esperaba que me dieran ideas o métodos para aplicar la compasión en el día a día como trabajadora en hospital, sustentados con evidencia. Más bien, se dedica a exponer artículo tras artículo para respaldar la aseveración de que existe una crisis de falta de compasión en el sector salud. En mi opinión, eso se podría haber abordado en uno o dos capítulos máximo. Alardea mucho un hospital en específico de EE.UU. al punto que me molestó. Lo que me gustaron fueron los casos clínicos reales que pusieron en algunos capítulos, aunque fueron muy poquitos. Casi lo abandono porque era mucha paja.

[Will Browning · Rating 3 out of 5]

The motivation behind the book is great! They take great strides as authors to prove that compassion does in fact improve patient outcome, including pain management, symptoms, and much much more. It is extremely interesting and eye-opening, at times even inspiring, for the first 100 pages or so. But it does become very monotonous and repetitive as they present the same core idea in a variety of situations. You could glean the useful info from the first 100 pages or so and just apply it to every disease or condition you can fathom and basically understand the main purpose of the book. Worth the read if you have time and don't mind reading what amounts to research studies over and over for a few hundred pages. However, as someone hoping to be a doctor in the next decade or less, the idea behind the book is still very appealing and encouraging.

[Ellie Leabch]

I was given this book for a book club at work. It is definitely a dense read, but one I felt very connected and invested in. From the first chapter I started noticing some things that I do that they were talking about - referring to patients by room number or diagnosis or time I see them, rushing to get through, thinking I didn’t have enough time to be extra compassionate. I also noticed that I do a lot of those compassionate things already! I think everyone that willingly picks up this book is already probably pretty compassionate or cares deeply about being more compassionate. It’s a book I’d recommend for people who have the time to really sit an ponder it, or listen to it with intentionality. It reads both like a scientific paper but also as a lived story which was what made it so interesting to me. Maybe I’m just a compassionate nerd, who knows!

[Robert Schwab · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but tedious, this book is not an easy read. As someone who teaches a class about stories and their ability to teach empathy and compassion to healthcare students, I was interested in this topic, and I wasn't disappointed. The authors present evidence to support the idea that compassion improves outcomes (clinical and financial), patient and provider satisfaction, and helps prevent burnout among caregivers. All worthwhile goals, and a nice compendium of the evidence that supports the central role of compassion. The book seems much longer than it is, though, because it reads as a recitation of studies supporting the theses. I can't imagine general readers, even those in healthcare, hanging in there to the end. For professors of compassion and empathy, it was an interesting read.

[Hakan Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am by no means a scientist. Best I can offer is my bachelor of science in social sciences. I'm just going to say that it's a little offensive when I see people rooted in the natural sciences refer to aspects of the social sciences as "Soft". However, I'm always happy to see those people finally appreciate the hard work of the social sciences. The healthcare system in much of the world is still catching up to that work in how inhumanly patients are often treated. So Stephen Trzeciak spent the last 2 years compiling decades worth of that work and translated it into a format that natural (aka hard) science people can digest. Hopefully, this is a sign that we will start getting more out of the work of those "soft" sciences in medicine and many more industries.

[Jim Peplinski · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very very very repetitive imo.
Should be 5 star value yet redundancy dulls the read to a 1 star.

Could be summarized as:
1. Be nice to people.
2. Be empathetic. Don’t become a slave to your senses as in if you are so empathetic you become a puddle of feelings, no one is served.
3. Be compassionate. Figure out how to be part of the solution with someone in order to assist them.

Applies to all disciplines (health care, education, personal, business, etc) - refer readers to the studies.

What it doesn’t say (or i missed it) is figure out if the person you are empathetic to and compassionate with, has the characteristics to make a difference for themselves (and others) or are they relying on you ….. not that is a hard one.

[Magaly Borrero-Vazquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book describes why showing compassion towards others is both the right and the smart thing to do. "Compassion is not a luxury; it is a necessity for our well-being, resilience, and survival" - John Halifax. Schwarts' said "Compassion always matters. It makes the unbearable, bearable."

- How do you feel about those who hold views different than yours?
- Is compassion for others among your core values?
- If you are a healthcare provider, do you know what it means to be compassionate with your patients?
- On a more personal level, do you show compassion towards all those you encounter during your day? Do you practice compassion towards yourself?

Yes, I loved reading this book!

[Robert Bogue]

Sometimes while reading a book, you can be in such agreement with the concept and so frustrated by the experience of reading. It’s hard reading. The research support is sometimes weak, but it’s so important, it’s worth looking past these limitations. Compassionomics: The Revolutionary Scientific Evidence that Caring Makes a Difference seeks to explain how being compassionate isn’t just the morally better approach but leads to better financial outcomes as well.

Read more

[Cathy Estrada · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing data o on compassion

This is a life changing book, if you let it be. Ofcourse we all know compassion is good. But little did we know how transformative it can be. All health care workers should read this but make sure you read to the end for the really life changing data in last few chapters. I am giving copies to my Dr offices . Not because they are not doing this but to confirm to them why with data and research why compassion is cost effective with better outcomes.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Should be required reading for anyone in health care, contemplating education in the health services, and anyone dealing with health care systems. It's an overview of current knowledge of the benefits of compassion in healthcare - there many - INCLUDING economic and hospital bottom lines. Anecdotes and complete reference info, if you are the type to dive in to see how they arrived at their conclusions, which I am.

[Kim Lyons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wish I had read years ago

Loved this book and well needed in the nhs. Compassion is essential for patients, relatives and staff. Financially evidence shows it is essential. I read this on kindle and I had to highlight so much of the text as it was so good. Best book I have read so far this year.
It does repeat it self but for a good reason, as they highlight the important points.
Excellent studies quoted which is perfect.