8. Not-So-Random Acts of Kindness in Flanders

Kindness in healthcare, like in other settings, is contagious. It spreads through social networks and can trigger a chain reaction where people feel the need to pay it forward, a phenomenon called prosocial contagion. Initiatives to promote kindness in healthcare improve clinical care and patient outcomes, and reduce stress and burnout among healthcare staff. Kris Vanhaecht tells us about the Mangomoments initiative in Belgium that demonstrated the ripple effects of small unexpected acts of kindness in clinical settings on patients and healthcare workers.References:Vanhaecht K et al. Mangomoments - preconditions and impact on patients and families, healthcare professionals and organisations: a multi-method study in Flemish hospitals. BMJ Open. 2020 Aug 6;10(8):e034543. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32764082/Greco A, González-Ortiz LG, Gabutti L, Lumera D. What’s the role of kindness in the healthcare context? A scoping review. BMC Health Serv Res. 2025;25:207. doi:10.1186/s12913-025-12328-1.Fine L, Takla T, Rajput V. Role Modeling Kindness at the Bedside. Cureus. 2024;16(3):e57078. doi:10.7759/cureus.57078.Tang W, Wu D, Yang F, et al. How kindness can be contagious in healthcare. Nature Medicine. 2021. Nature Medicine. 27 (7), 1142-1144.