Compassion fatigue and COVID-19: A global view from nurses

Due to the rapid spread of COVID-19 variants, the number of people hospitalized for COVID-19 may create psychological burdens on nurses. Nurses with high levels of compassion fatigue (CF) are more likely to make work errors, deliver poor-quality care, and have greater intent to leave their position.

This study utilized the social-ecological model to examine factors associated with nurses' CF and compassion satisfaction (CS) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Data were collected from the United States, Japan, and South Korea from July to December 2020. The Professional Quality of Life Scale was used to measure burnout (BO), secondary traumatic stress (STS), and CS.

Data from 662 responses were used in the analysis. Mean scores were 25.04 (±6.44) for BO, 24.81 (±6.43) for STS, and 37.85 (±7.67) for CS. Multiple regression analyses indicated that resilience and intention to leave nursing were related to each study outcome (i.e., BO, STS, and CS). Greater resilience predicted lower BO and STS but greater CS, whereas intention to leave nursing indicated greater BO and STS, but lower CS. Furthermore, intrapersonal factors and organizational factors (i.e., nurses involved in developing policies to prepare for COVID-19 patients, organizational support, and personal protective equipment [PPE] provisions) were related to BO, STS, and CS.

To promote nurses' psychological well-being, improvement of organizational factors such as support, PPE, and programs to enhance resilience is recommended to prepare for future emerging infectious disease crises.