Nurses Compassion Fatigue in Two Southern California Systems: Strategies, Challenges, and Motivations

Compassion fatigue (CF) is an emotional condition affecting health care workers/nurses due to prolonged exposure to patient care. It is costly and associated with profound individual and organization consequences such as health care workers leaving their profession.

This study explored the facilitators, risk factors, barriers, and strategies contributing to CF among inpatient nurses.

This data set was part of mixed-method multisite/multisystem descriptive study among nurses in 14 hospitals within an integrated health care organization and 2 hospitals within a university system. Participants responded to open-ended questions via SurveyMonkey addressing coping strategies, barriers, and facilitators. Descriptive thematic analysis was conducted.

A total of 6 main themes emerged including Harmonizing Work Demands, Compassion Maintenance, Motivation to Continue in Nursing, Compassion Satisfaction Facilitators, Strategies to Reduce Stress, and Compassion Barriers. Participants shared key strategies focused on personal factors such as sleep and nutrition, spiritual practices, recreation, and time with loved ones. They emphasized the importance of venting, self-reflection, socialization, and spiritual activities.

Understanding CF and its contributing factors is crucial for developing effective interventions to support nurses. Promoting work-life balance, providing opportunities for spiritual and recreational activities, and fostering a supportive work environment can help mitigate CF, improve nurse retention and job satisfaction.