Enhancing Compassion to Self and Others Through the Use of a Compassion Training Program in End-of-Life Research Professionals

Background: End-of-life HIV research places emotional demands on staff, yet evidence for brief compassion training to enhance resilience is limited. Objectives: To assess the feasibility and impact of a four-week compassion training program on self-compassion and professional well-being. Design: Prospective, single-group, repeated-measures pilot with surveys at baseline (T1), post-program (T2), and 12-week follow-up (T3). Setting/Participants: Twenty-four professionals from the UC San Diego Last Gift program (83% women, 63% aged 25–44 years). Measurements: Validated scales assessed self-compassion, compassion for others, professional quality of life, and work climate; changes were analyzed with Friedman and Bonferroni-adjusted Wilcoxon tests. Results: Over-identification ( p = 0.002), workplace joy ( p = 0.005), and supportive work environment ( p = 0.003) improved. Meditation frequency increased from T1 to T2 ( p < 0.001) and remained higher at T3 ( p = 0.006). Conclusions: A brief compassion program was feasible and improved over-identification and work-climate measures, supporting further evaluation of compassion support training in palliative and end-of-life research settings.