Prevalence and contextual factors associated with compassion fatigue among nurses in northern Uganda

Abstract

Background Compassion fatigue is associated with negative consequences that undermine workplace performance. However, literature is scarce on compassion fatigue among nurses in the context of Uganda who are at higher risk of compassion fatigue owed to the nature of their occupation and the unfavorable work environment. We aimed to assess the prevalence and predictors of compassion fatigue among nurses in Northern Uganda. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey among 395 randomly selected nurses from two referral and four general hospitals in Northern Uganda. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Data analysis consisted of descriptive statistics, cross-tabulations, and logistic regression at a 95% level of significance in SPSS version 25. Results Of 395 nurses who took part in the study, 58.2% were female, 39.8% had a diploma, 47.1% were single, and 32.4% had worked for between 11–15 years. Close to 50% of the nurses experienced compassion fatigue. The predictors of compassion fatigue among the participants were; workplace bullying (AOR: 3.83; 95% CI: 1.99–7.36; p = <0.001) career enhancement opportunities (AOR: 9.16; 95% CI: 2.32–36.22; p = 0.002; and remuneration (AOR: 7.30; 95% CI: 2.73–19.49; p = <0.001). Conclusion More than 3 in 4 nurses in Northern Uganda experience compassion fatigue. The Ministry of Health together with other stakeholders should strive to increase career enhancement opportunities for nurses, improve nurses’ remuneration and improve the overall workplace environment to prevent compassion fatigue among nurses in the country.

Compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress among nurses after the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Likewise, a study revealed that more than half of the studied sample had an average level of ProQoL components (CS, BO, STS). [ 22 ] While a study conducted in Northern Uganda,[ 23 ] reported that 49.11% of nurses had a high level of compassion fatigue and a study in Malaysia reported a high level of burnout among 39.4% of nurses. [ 5 ] This could be because nurses are primary contacts, spend more time with patients regularly, and work under high stress during COVID-19.…”

Compassion Fatigue, Burnout and Compassion Satisfaction Among Nurses Working in a Tertiary Care Hospital of Nepal During Covid-19 Pandemic

“…Studies showed higher rate of compassion fatigue 7,8 and burnout 6,7 among nurses during COVID-19 pandemic. The constant exposure to crisis causes mental and physical tiredness 4 and burnout 6 as well as reduces the work efficiency and quality of work and patients' disease recovery.…”

Prevalence of compassion fatigue, burnout, compassion satisfaction, and associated factors among nurses working in cancer treatment centers in Ethiopia, 2020

“…In particular, professionals working in cancer care are exposed to exact a toll on their physical and emotional health [1]. Compassion fatigue reduced the practitioner's capacity to be empathic or bear the suffering of clients [2][3][4][5][6]. On the other hand, compassion satisfaction reflects the rewards of caring for others and counterbalances the risks of compassion fatigue [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13].…”