Compassion fatigue among nurses working with older adults

Area of Science:

• Geriatric Medicine
• Nursing
• Psychology

Background:

• Nurses caring for older patients face significant emotional challenges.
• Exposure to suffering and loss can lead to compassion fatigue and burnout.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess compassion fatigue, burnout, and compassion satisfaction in geriatric nurses.
• To identify differences between new and experienced nurses regarding these factors.

Main Methods:

• An exploratory descriptive study was conducted.
• The Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue 5 scale was used.
• Data were collected from 42 nurses on a geriatric medicine unit.

Main Results:

• Nurses reported average levels of compassion fatigue, burnout, and compassion satisfaction.
• New nurses showed significantly higher levels of compassion fatigue (p < .01) and burnout (p = .02) compared to experienced nurses.

Conclusions:

• Geriatric nurses experience moderate levels of compassion fatigue, burnout, and satisfaction.
• New nurses are at higher risk for compassion fatigue and burnout.
• Supportive environments focusing on new nurses are crucial for mitigating negative outcomes and improving well-being.