Alleviating psychological symptoms in nurses during disease outbreaks: An integrative review

To explore interventions and coping strategies used to treat the psychological symptoms associated with compassion fatigue among nurses.

The rapid transmission of infectious diseases (e.g., COVID-19) has put nurses, around the world, at high risk of developing profound psychological health issues due to compassion fatigue. If unrelieved, compassion fatigue can lead to catastrophic psychological symptoms such as depression, stress, anxiety, and insomnia, negatively impacting patient care. This necessitates interventions to prevent or mitigate the psychological symptoms of compassion fatigue.

Following Whittemore and Knafl's integrative review method, the literature search comprised three databases: CINAHL, MEDLINE-OVID, and Scopus.

The 11 included studies were categorized into four themes: (1) using relaxation strategies, (2) neutralizing emotional trauma, (3) enhancing nurses' preparedness for confronting disasters, and (4) educating nurses about coping strategies to manage their psychological issues.

Researchers studied several coping strategies and interventions. There is a need for policymakers' support and hospital-level interventions. Early interventions may prevent or relieve psychological issues.

The findings have implications for hospital leaders around the world to initiate interventions that teach nurses strategies to cope with stressful events. Future researchers might consider long-term supports and multiple interventions that target several leading causes of psychological symptoms among nurses before, during, and after high-stress situations. Policymakers around the world could use the findings to initiate policies to facilitate nurses' access to needed resources, hence protecting their mental health and increasing the quality of patient care.