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Table 1 Pillars of Leadership Development

From: Building health system capacity to improve maternal and newborn care: a pilot leadership program for frontline staff at a tertiary hospital in Ghana

Component

Definition in the GARH Context

Adaptive Decision Making

Doctors, midwives and nurses have the ability to adapt their decision making approach to the circumstances (e.g. deciding to break the established norm of waiting for a physician to visit the ward to examine a patient if the patent is in distress, or prioritizing a mother with an urgent need over someone who was ahead in the examination sequence).

Personal Accountability

Realization that every doctor, midwife and nurse has the obligation to be responsible for the patient’s safety and positive experience, and being ready to take the actions needed to exercise that responsibility.

Timely and Appropriate Communication

Comunication of appropriate information related to the care of the patient to each stakeholder (e.g. family member, colleague, or the patient herself) at the right time and in accordance with established protocols.

Compassionate Care

A cognitive, affective, and behavioral process consisting of: 1) Recognizing individual and universal suffering; 2) Feeling empathy for the person suffering and connecting with the distress (emotional resonance); 3) Tolerating uncomfortable feelings aroused in response to the suffering person (e.g. distress, anger, fear) so remaining open to and accepting of the person suffering; and 4) Motivation to act/acting to alleviate suffering.