Data-Driven Systematic Literature Review and Bibliometric Analysis of Teaching Empathy, Compassion, and Mindfulness in Health Professions Education

Abstract

Empathy, compassion, and mindfulness are increasingly treated as curricular and professional capabilities in health professions education, yet the evidence remains dispersed across medical, nursing, allied-health, and professional-wellbeing literatures. This study combines a systematic review of 40 empirical journal articles with a VOSviewer bibliometric analysis of 738 Scopus-indexed records published between 1983 and 2026. The broad corpus was analysed for publication growth, document type, source productivity, citation influence, and thematic structure. A focused PRISMA-guided screening process retained 40 journal studies for structured extraction of design, sampling, location, instruments, and findings. The bibliometric corpus involved 2,308 unique author-name records and 15,215 citations, with an h-index of 63. Publication activity accelerated markedly after 2015, and the VOSviewer network revealed three interconnected clusters: humanistic education and compassion-oriented pedagogy; learner and professional characteristics with psychological correlates; and occupational burnout. The systematic synthesis showed that empathy and compassion are teachable but sensitive to role modelling, assessment practices, hidden curricula, and organisational climate. Arts-based learning, clinical simulation, reflective writing, feedback, coaching, and patient narratives supported relational development. Mindfulness and self-compassion interventions generally reduced stress, burnout, depersonalisation, or self-criticism, although abbreviated or weakly supported formats produced inconsistent effects. Across studies, common limitations included small samples, single-site designs, self-report outcomes, limited follow-up, and uneven geographic coverage. The review concludes that relational competence should be embedded longitudinally across formal, informal, and clinical curricula, while learner wellbeing and institutional conditions must be addressed as prerequisites for sustained compassionate practice.