Introducing and implementing a compassionate care elective for medical students in Crete.

Many reports have commented on the decreasing level of humanity in healthcare, and that medical training has an increasingly scientific basis. This paper reports on a six-week elective on compassionate care, delivered to first year medical students at the University of Crete Medical School.The course proved highly popular, and may represent a starting point for emphasising the importance of compassionate care in the Greek healthcare system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]