Premium
Qualitative study on the causes and consequences of compassion fatigue from the perspective of nurses
Author(s) -
PérezGarcía Esteban,
OrtegaGalán Ángela María,
IbáñezMasero Olivia,
RamosPichardo Juan Diego,
FernándezLeyva Antonia,
RuizFernández María Dolores
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
international journal of mental health nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.911
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1447-0349
pISSN - 1445-8330
DOI - 10.1111/inm.12807
Subject(s) - compassion fatigue , compassion , perspective (graphical) , nursing , qualitative research , psychology , anxiety , phenomenology (philosophy) , health care , burnout , medicine , clinical psychology , psychiatry , sociology , social science , philosophy , epistemology , artificial intelligence , political science , computer science , law , economics , economic growth
Compassion is one of the core elements of nursing care. Continued exposure to patient pain and suffering puts nurses at risk of developing compassion fatigue. The aim of this study was to understand the causes and consequences of compassion fatigue from the perspective of nurses. To this end, a qualitative design based on the hermeneutic phenomenology paradigm was used. Five focus group sessions were held with 43 nursing professionals. Two themes and six sub‐themes emerged from the analysis of their discourses in relation to the impact of compassion fatigue on nurses. Based on the results obtained, the causes perceived as generating compassion fatigue are the lack of time and resources to provide comprehensive nursing care. The consequences identified were difficulties in carrying out their work, repercussions on family and private life, anxiety, stress, and, in some cases, the desire to quit the profession. This study concluded that healthcare organizations are key to fostering compassionate care and that cultivating compassion is necessary to prevent compassion fatigue.