Compassion fatigue among critical care nurses: a literature review

Providing compassionate care continually can result in nurses developing compassion fatigue - a state of physical, emotional and psychological exhaustion. Critical care nurses are particularly at risk of compassion fatigue, in part due to their constant exposure to patients with life-threatening conditions and patient deaths. This article details a literature review that aimed to explore compassion fatigue among critical care nurses, with a view to identifying interventions and coping strategies to enhance their well-being as well as to guide nurse managers in protecting staff well-being. Five main themes were generated through narrative synthesis. The findings indicate that: compassion fatigue is prevalent among critical care nurses, particularly younger nurses and those with lower levels of education; there is a lack of education regarding coping with patients' deaths; and various factors can increase the risk of compassion fatigue, such as insufficient staffing levels, limited time off and consecutive shifts. Interventions such as mindfulness and debriefing can mitigate compassion fatigue in critical care nurses, but their effectiveness depends on managerial and organisational support. Nurse managers have an essential role in supporting critical care nurses' well-being through consistent leadership, supporting staff to undertake further education and training, encouraging supportive workplace environments and implementing structured debriefing.