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An investigation into the P rofessional Q uality of L ife of dietitians working in acute care caseloads: are we doing enough to look after our own?
Author(s) -
Osland E. J.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of human nutrition and dietetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.951
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1365-277X
pISSN - 0952-3871
DOI - 10.1111/jhn.12260
Subject(s) - medicine , burnout , compassion fatigue , feeling , family medicine , nursing , clinical psychology , psychology , social psychology
Background The development of c ompassion f atigue ( CF ) has been described across a variety of acute care caseloads in some health professions. The present study was undertaken to determine whether dietitians working in these caseloads also experience CF . Methods A voluntary, anonymous survey incorporating the P rofessional Q uality of L ife tool was developed in an online format, and was e‐mailed to dietitians working in public acute care settings. Results Eighty‐seven completed surveys were returned. Average rates of compassion satisfaction ( CS ) and burnout and low rates of secondary traumatic stress ( STS ) were reported. Dietitians in high‐risk workloads reported higher levels of STS than those with low‐risk workloads (χ 2  = 5.4, P  =   0.02). Differences in STS were found between those practising in paediatric compared to adult caseloads (χ 2  = 16.6, P  <   0.01). Dietitians in smaller facilities reported higher STS (χ 2  = 10.6, P  <   0.01) and lower CS ( P  =   0.05) than larger facilities. Working for >5 years as a dietitian was associated with higher rates of STS and burnout than in those working for <5 years (χ 2  = 7.9, P  =   0.05 and χ 2  = 3.8, P  =   0.05, respectively). Those who perceived greater levels of support reported lower rates of burnout ( r s  = −0.41, P  <   0.01) and higher rates of CS ( r s  = 0.39, P  <   0.01) than those not feeling supported. All dietitians reported undertaking self‐care practices; however, up to 24% reported practices that may represent maladaptive coping methods. Conclusions Although the present study suggests dietitians experience a good professional quality of life, vulnerable areas were identified, suggesting the need for additional support in some areas of dietetic practice.

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