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    Compassion Fatigue

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    Compassion fatigue is a widely discussed issue for healthcare providers. It results from the relationship between clinician and patient rather than from stresses of the work environment like burnout. Compassion fatigue can manifest as avoidance of patient situations, dreams related to work stresses, and physiological signs of stress. It can also appear as emotional exhaustion and lack of empathy. Educating at-risk providers and teaching coping strategies like self-care, avoiding self-criticism, and ensuring sleep can help minimize compassion fatigue.

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    Compassion Fatigue

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    153 views5 pages
    Compassion fatigue is a widely discussed issue for healthcare providers. It results from the relationship between clinician and patient rather than from stresses of the work environment like burnout. Compassion fatigue can manifest as avoidance of patient situations, dreams related to work stresses, and physiological signs of stress. It can also appear as emotional exhaustion and lack of empathy. Educating at-risk providers and teaching coping strategies like self-care, avoiding self-criticism, and ensuring sleep can help minimize compassion fatigue.

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    Compassion fatigue is a widely discussed issue for healthcare providers. It results from the relationship between clinician and patient rather than from stresses of the work environment like burnout. Compassion fatigue can manifest as avoidance of patient situations, dreams related to work stresses, and physiological signs of stress. It can also appear as emotional exhaustion and lack of empathy. Educating at-risk providers and teaching coping strategies like self-care, avoiding self-criticism, and ensuring sleep can help minimize compassion fatigue.

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    153 views5 pages

    Compassion Fatigue

    Uploaded by

    api-384261910
    Compassion fatigue is a widely discussed issue for healthcare providers. It results from the relationship between clinician and patient rather than from stresses of the work environment like burnout. Compassion fatigue can manifest as avoidance of patient situations, dreams related to work stresses, and physiological signs of stress. It can also appear as emotional exhaustion and lack of empathy. Educating at-risk providers and teaching coping strategies like self-care, avoiding self-criticism, and ensuring sleep can help minimize compassion fatigue.

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    Running head: COMPASSION FATIGUE 1

    Compassion Fatigue

    Joshua P. Jones

    BYU- Idaho
    COMPASSION FATIGUE 2

    Compassion Fatigue

    What Does Compassion Fatigue Mean?

    Compassion fatigue is a widely discussed topic in the nursing community. In order to

    understand what compassion fatigue is, compassion must first be defined. For the purpose of this

    paper, compassion is defined as a response to human frailty that informs and motivates our

    duties towards others that by its very nature creates a desire to act on behalf of others (Ledoux,

    2015, p. 2044). In other words, compassion is the force that drives people to help those who are

    in need of help. Now that compassion has been defined, a greater understanding of compassion

    fatigue can be reached.

    Compassion fatigue has been defined as loss of satisfaction that comes from doing ones

    job well, or job-related distress that outweighs job satisfaction (Sheppard, 2016, p. 53). Many

    health care providers may experience compassion fatigue during their careers. It is important to

    note that compassion fatigue is different from burnout. Burnout results from the stresses of the

    clinicians interactions with his or her environment. Compassion fatigue results more from the

    relationship between clinician and patient (Gallagher, 2013, p. 265). These two concepts are not

    exclusive to the health care field, however health care providers often deal closely with patients

    and when these relationships are not fulfilling, these providers can be prone to experiencing

    compassion fatigue instead of burnout.

    What Are Some Ways Compassion Fatigue Can be Seen in Clinicians?

    Compassion fatigue does not only effect the mental aspect of health care providers, but

    can also be seen in some of the behaviors expressed by those struggling with this problem.

    Gallagher (2013) relates these behaviors as similar to behaviors seen in individuals with

    posttraumatic stress disorder (p. 266). Gallagher (2013) goes on to explain that these behaviors
    COMPASSION FATIGUE 3

    can include avoiding situations where patients are suffering, having thoughts or dreams related to

    stressful situations, and even can manifest as physiological signs of stress (p. 266). Some of these

    signs of stress, such as high blood pressure, can have a negative effect on an individuals overall

    health if they persist over a long period of time.

    Compassion fatigue can also manifest as emotional exhaustion (Ledoux, 2015, p.

    2046). These signs may be harder to see. However, they can manifest as someone refusing to

    become emotionally involved in a situation, or seen as an individuals lack of empathy. This lack

    of emotional competency for a given situation can lead to a gap in efficient care. This is why it is

    important to be aware of these signs and symptoms of compassion fatigue, and address the

    underlying issues before care is affected.

    Strategies for Coping with Compassion Fatigue

    There are many different strategies that can help health care professionals minimize the

    effects of compassion fatigue. Reflecting on ones own experience of dealing with emotionally

    draining circumstances, learning new skills, and finding meaning in this work seems to allow

    clinicians to feel energized rather than drained by it (Gallagher, 2013, p. 266). Avoiding self-

    criticism, focusing on the positive aspects of interactions, and getting sufficient amounts of sleep

    can also help individuals cope with compassion fatigue (Sheppard, 2016, p. 55).

    Lastly, educating at risk populations can help in minimizing the effects of compassion

    fatigue. Identifying the problem early and addressing it at that time may help prevent more

    serious cases of compassion fatigue later on. However it is important to note that compassion is

    an important aspect of nursing care (Ledoux, 2015, p. 2047). Therefore nurses, as well as other

    health care professionals, should not be taught to avoid feeling compassion towards others as a
    COMPASSION FATIGUE 4

    way to avoid compassion fatigue. Instead they should be taught to recognize the signs early and

    some of the other coping mechanisms discussed above in order to minimize its effects.
    COMPASSION FATIGUE 5

    References

    Gallagher, R. (2013). Compassion fatigue. Canadian Family Physician, 59(3), 265-268.

    Retrieved from http://www.cfp.ca/content/59/3/265

    Ledoux, K. (2015). Understanding compassion fatigue: Understanding compassion. Journal of

    Advanced Nursing, 71(9), 2041-2050. Retrieved from

    http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.byui.idm.oclc.org/doi/10.1111/jan.12686/full

    Sheppard, K. (2016). Compassion fatigue: Are you at risk?. American Nursing Today, 11(1), 53-

    55. Retrieved from https://www.americannursetoday.com/compassion-fatigue/

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