Toward a Comprehensive Understanding of Nurses' Compassion Fatigue: A Meta-Integrative Qualitative Synthesis

The study aims to conduct a thematic synthesis approach of existing qualitative research to synthesise the real experiences of nurses dealing with compassion fatigue. This integration seeks to provide a comprehensive overview, identify common themes, and offer theoretical support for developing effective intervention strategies to mitigate compassion fatigue in healthcare settings.

A thematic synthesis approach was utilised, synthesising qualitative studies on nurses' experiences of compassion fatigue.

Data were collected from major academic databases, including PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, and Web of Science. A total of 15 studies met the inclusion criteria.

This study systematically reviewed 11 qualitative research articles from China, the United States, Japan, Spain, Iran and Finland, involving 1076 nurses, to analyse and integrate the phenomenon of compassion fatigue among nurses and extract common themes.

The analysis revealed that the leading causes of compassion fatigue include insufficient time and resources, psychosocial stressors, compassion overload and organisational and environmental factors. The manifestations of compassion fatigue primarily consist of work-related difficulties and impacts on family life, emotional and physical exhaustion and a mix of positive and negative emotions. Coping strategies focus on self-care and emotional regulation, symptom recognition and response strategies and organisational interventions and training.

This study's findings provide theoretical support for healthcare institutions to develop effective intervention strategies to alleviate compassion fatigue among nurses and improve the quality of care.

The study contributes to the body of knowledge by systematically synthesising qualitative evidence on compassion fatigue among nurses. The results have practical implications for nursing management and policy, emphasising the need for supportive measures to protect nurses from compassion fatigue and ensure sustainable care practices.

This research does not directly involve patients or public participants but focuses on synthesising the experiences of nurses as reported in existing studies, thereby indirectly contributing to improving patient care by addressing the well-being of healthcare providers.