Exploring compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue in emergency nurses: a mixed-methods study.

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Emergency Medicine
• Psychology

Background:

• Compassion fatigue negatively impacts emergency nurses and patient care quality.
• Operational pressures and the COVID-19 pandemic may exacerbate compassion fatigue risk.
• Understanding nurses' experiences is vital for effective support strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore emergency nurses' experiences and perceptions of compassion satisfaction and fatigue.
• To identify factors influencing compassion satisfaction and fatigue in emergency settings.

Main Methods:

• Explanatory sequential mixed-methods design.
• Phase one: Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL-5) scale for prevalence and severity.
• Phase two: Semi-structured interviews with six participants for in-depth exploration.

Main Results:

• 44 emergency nurses completed the ProQOL-5; 6 reported high, 38 moderate compassion satisfaction.
• No participants reported low compassion satisfaction.
• Interviews revealed themes of personal reflections, maintaining stability factors, and external influences on compassion.

Conclusions:

• Systemic prevention and management of compassion fatigue are essential.
• Addressing compassion fatigue protects ED staff morale, well-being, and retention.
• Mitigating compassion fatigue improves patient care delivery.