Compassion Fatigue Among Nurses in Adult Care Units : A Descriptive Literature Review
Al-Husaini, Ahmed Hussein Hadi; Ononiwu, Chinwendu Evangeline (2025)
2025
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202602102504
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202602102504
Tiivistelmä
Compassion fatigue is a growing concern affecting nurses worldwide, particularly due to increasing workloads, staff shortages and the mental strain aggravated by prolonged patient care and absorbing the pains of others, especially in recent times when healthcare budgets are being stretched. The purpose of this study is to describe nurses’ perception of compassion fatigue in adult care units. The aim is to produce comprehensive knowledge of the risk factors of compassion fatigue and the interventions available to help nurses mitigate it, promote their well-being and improve the quality of patient care.
Articles retrieval was conducted through manual search of CINAHL and PUBMED databases. To narrow down the search, inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied. A descriptive literature review and inductive content analysis of eleven studies were utilised in the study to answer the two research questions stated in this literature review: (1) What risk factors contribute to compassion fatigue among nurses in adult care units? (2) What interventions do nurses identify as helpful in mitigating compassion fatigue?
The findings indicated that the risk of compassion fatigue among nurses in adult care units is strongly associated with organisational factors, demographic factors, job dissatisfaction and personal factors. The analysis also revealed that interventions such as organisational support, debriefing, self-care strategy, and social support were effective in mitigating compassion fatigue among the nurses.
Overall, this study highlighted the need for the nursing profession to recognise compassion fatigue as a critical workforce issue and to implement effective evidence-based interventions that continually support nurses' well-being and sustain good quality patient care.
Keywords: compassion fatigue, nurses, adult care units
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Articles retrieval was conducted through manual search of CINAHL and PUBMED databases. To narrow down the search, inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied. A descriptive literature review and inductive content analysis of eleven studies were utilised in the study to answer the two research questions stated in this literature review: (1) What risk factors contribute to compassion fatigue among nurses in adult care units? (2) What interventions do nurses identify as helpful in mitigating compassion fatigue?
The findings indicated that the risk of compassion fatigue among nurses in adult care units is strongly associated with organisational factors, demographic factors, job dissatisfaction and personal factors. The analysis also revealed that interventions such as organisational support, debriefing, self-care strategy, and social support were effective in mitigating compassion fatigue among the nurses.
Overall, this study highlighted the need for the nursing profession to recognise compassion fatigue as a critical workforce issue and to implement effective evidence-based interventions that continually support nurses' well-being and sustain good quality patient care.
Keywords: compassion fatigue, nurses, adult care units
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