Compassion Fatigue and Compassion Satisfaction Among Multisite Multisystem Nurses

Abstract

Compassion fatigue is a phenomenon that might affect nurses of all specialties. Compassion fatigue occurrence could be profound and costly. The immediate impact could be disruption of the unit culture. This study investigated the prevalence and individual-level factors associated with compassion fatigue among nurses. An upsurge in patients' complexity today may leave nurses stressed with increasing practice demands and vulnerable to compassion fatigue. If ignored, compassion fatigue may compromise nurses' health and care outcomes. A sample of 1174 nurses from 2 large Southern California health care organizations completed an online survey measuring compassion fatigue, burnout, and compassion satisfaction. Overall, participants scored moderate to average (23–41) on compassion satisfaction, burnout, and compassion satisfaction. Experienced and working nights nurses experienced higher compassion satisfaction levels. Higher compassion fatigue means were associated with new graduates = 29.5, BSN nurses = 27.2, ICU nurses = 27.4, and working 12-hour shift nurses = 26.9, suggesting higher compassion fatigue vulnerability. Nurse leaders and managers can apply this baseline evidence to create tailored programs for specific nursing specialties and inexperienced nurses to tackle compassion fatigue and reduce related unit disorder. Seasoned nurses' perspective can be of value in enhancing those efforts.

The Effect on Ethical Sensitivity of Compassion Level in Nurses

“…Although it was determined in the study that there was no difference between the unit worked and the level of compassion, in some studies, it was found that the level of compassion fatigue was higher in nurses working in the following units: primary healthcare [11], emergency [9], and intensive care [28]. In addition, it was determined that the compassion level of nurses with high professional satisfaction was higher [8].…”

“…In their studies carried out with operating room nurses and in their studies conducted with nurses working in different clinics, Çınar and Aslan [25] and Duarte et al [27], respectively, found that the compassion levels of the nurses were above average. Additionally, in several studies conducted in Turkey and other countries, it was found that the compassion levels of the nurses were at medium levels [1,28]. In a meta-analysis study, on the other hand, the prevalence of compassion fatigue in nurses was reported as 47.6% and it was emphasized that it was high [29].…”

“…Similarly, some studies showed that compassion fatigue levels of nurses with postgraduate education were low [29,31]. In studies examining the relationship between compassion fatigue and year of working, it was reported that nurses working for less than 10 years had a high level of compassion fatigue [1,28].…”

The Effects of an Educational Program on the Professional Quality of Life and Health of Nurses: A Cluster Experimental Design

“…Levels of burnout and secondary traumatic stress have been found to be higher in nurses than other health practitioners, such as physicians, social workers, and palliative care professionals ( Cavanagh et al, 2020 ). Intensive care unit nurses have been found to experience higher levels of burnout and secondary traumatic stress than either ward nurses ( Kawar et al, 2019 ) or oncology nurses ( Mooney et al, 2017 ). Higher compassion satisfaction has been significantly associated with better physical and mental health ( Fu et al, 2018 ), whereas higher levels of burnout and secondary traumatic stress have been significantly associated with poor physical and mental health ( Fu et al, 2018 ; Ruiz-Fernández et al, 2020 ).…”

Nurse Stress Scale (NSS): Reliability and validity of the Turkish version

“…7,[16][17][18][19][20][21] In the national field, a scale directly related to stress experienced by nurses has not been encountered in the literature, and the existing scales mostly cover education period of nursing students such as nursing education stress scale, 22 perceived stress scale. 23 The current national and international studies specific to stress in nurses report that the stress experienced in the nursing profession with human contact is intense 20,24 ; it decreases job satisfaction, it causes fatigue, burnout and depression and stress-related diseases 25,26 ; and it is necessary to take measures quickly by determining the level of stress regardless of the unit the nurses work. [27][28][29] Since nursing is a unique profession and has different aspects from other disciplines, the stress experienced should be evaluated more comprehensively and in detail.…”