Objective: The scoping review aimed to define and conceptualize kindness, compassion, and empathy in healthcare.

Methods: The study reviewed published research from five databases and one search engine and segregated literature that explicitly addressed the definitions or conceptualizations of kindness, compassion, and empathy within the healthcare environment.

Results: Out of 1,348 initial results reviewed, 107 articles were screened in full text, leading to the final inclusion of 42 papers. Key similarities and differences among kindness, compassion, and empathy were identified, and a model illustrating their relationship on a stimulus-response-action continuum was proposed. The review even highlighted definitional challenges in treating these terms as separate concepts.

Definitions established by the study:

• “Empathy is an internal, emotional response of wanting to share another's feelings or situation, whether suffering or joy, and informs action rather than being an action itself.”

• “Compassion is responding to others' suffering with a desire to alleviate that suffering, but that may or may not result in outward action.”

• “Kindness is a set of actions in response to a desire to help others flourish, informed by either an empathetic response or proactively chosen.”

Conclusions: The findings indicated that kindness, compassion, and empathy have distinct themes and roles along the continuum. Kindness should be recognized as a primary concept rather than a secondary to compassion or empathy.