Compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction among palliative care health providers: a scoping review

Palliative care can be demanding and stressful for providers. There is increasing recognition in the literature of the impact of caregiving in palliative care settings, including compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction. However, to date this literature has not been systematically reviewed. The purpose of this scoping review was to map the literature on compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction among palliative care health providers caring for adult patients.

Scoping review method guided by Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines was conducted using four electronic databases to identify the relevant studies published with no time limit. Following the title and abstract review, two reviewers independently screened full-text articles, and extracted study data. A narrative approach to synthesizing the literature was used.

Twenty studies were included in the review. Five themes emerged from synthesis: conceptualisation of compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction; measurement of compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction; consequences of compassion fatigue or compassion satisfaction and providing care for patients with life-threatening conditions; predictors or associated factors of compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction among palliative care health providers; and strategies or interventions to support palliative care health providers and reduce compassion fatigue.

Limited studies examined the effectiveness of specific interventions to improve compassion satisfaction and reduce compassion fatigue among palliative care health providers. Further investigation of the impacts of compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction on palliative care health providers and their work is also needed.