Healthcare and Human Resources Development

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Introduction

Compassion and caring are cornerstones of nursing. The cultivation and application of compassionate care approaches are critical for nurse satisfaction, too. Compassion satisfaction refers to the positive feelings and thoughts that arise from helping others. However, nurses can and do experience what is known as compassion fatigue, a type of emotional burnout. Sacco, Ciurzynski, Harvey & Ingersoll (2015) investigate the prevalence and explore the causes of both compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue in “Compassion Satisfaction and Compassion Fatigue Among Critical Care Nurses.”

The term compassion fatigue was coined in the 1990s (Sacco, Ciurzynski, Harvey & Ingersoll, 2015). Nurses working with trauma patients may be especially at risk for compassion fatigue because of the unique nature of the patient population and the corresponding stressors in the work environment. Compassion fatigue is frequently framed as a type of burnout, or “a cumulative state of frustration with a person’s work environment that develops over a long time,” (Sacco, Ciurzynski, Harvey & Ingersoll, 2015, p. 33). Even nurses who do not work in trauma units can experience burnout, but nurses in trauma units may be at an especially high risk for compassion fatigue due to secondary traumatic stress. Secondary traumatic stress is defined as “a feeling of despair caused by the transfer of emotional distress from a victim to a caregiver that often develops suddenly (Sacco, Ciurzynski, Harvey & Ingersoll, 2015, p. 33). Burnout plus secondary traumatic stress equal compassion fatigue. Compassion fatigue can lower employee satisfaction rates, and even lead to ancillary effects like reduced patient satisfaction and poorer patient outcome. This research by Sacco, Ciurzynski, Harvey & Ingersoll (2015) adds to the growing body of evidence on compassion fatigue by broadening the concept and linking it with workplace safety, organizational culture, and occupational health.

Purpose and Significance

The specific purpose of the Sacco, Ciurzynski, Harvey & Ingersoll (2015) study is to determine the prevalence of compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction among nurses working in adult, pediatric, and neonatal critical care settings. A secondary purpose of the study is stated as describing demographic and organizational variables that might contribute to either compassion satisfaction or compassion fatigue. Ideally, healthcare organizations help nurses maintain a balance between compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue.

Sacco, Ciurzynski, Harvey & Ingersoll (2015) also help differentiate between burnout and secondary traumatic stress. Burnout is more related to environmental conditions, whereas secondary traumatic stress is unique to nurses working with specific patient populations, namely trauma patients.

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In the introduction to “Compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue among critical care nurses,” Sacco, Ciurzynski, Harvey & Ingersoll (2015) also refer to professional quality of life as the balance between the positive and negative effects of caring (p. 33). The research is therefore of particular use for human resources managers and healthcare administrators.

Review of Literature

No formal review of literature is provided in the Sacco, Ciurzynski, Harvey & Ingersoll (2015) report, in spite of the existence of a substantive body of literature on the topic. For example, Conrad & Kellar-Guenther (2006) use a self-report instrument to measure compassion fatigue and burnout among child protective workers and found that while over 70% expressed compassion satisfaction, about 50% also experienced compassion fatigue. Hooper, Craig, Janvrin, et al (2010) used a cross-sectional survey to search for differences in compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue between emergency nurses and intensive care nurses, and found that emergency nurses exhibit lower compassion satisfaction overall versus other nurses, but 86% of all nurses experienced compassion fatigue.

The lack of a literature review in the Sacco, Ciurzynski, Harvey & Ingersoll (2015) study weakens the research and diminishes its impact and credibility significantly. However, the authors do refer to a seminal study by Joinson (1992), who first described the phenomenon of compassion fatigue. The authors also mention the American Psychiatric Association’s definition of traumatic stressor, and the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses’ standards for establishing and maintaining a healthy work environment.

Theoretical Framework

The authors do not identify their theoretical framework, but do mention their predilection for the professional quality of life model (ProQOL). Therefore, the authors seem to use a theoretical framework more closely akin to human resources and organizational psychology than to nursing. Likewise, the authors mention the concept of a healthy workplace environment, and the importance of reducing stress and burnout to promote better patient outcomes as well as higher job satisfaction rates.

Methods/Research Design/Procedures

This is a cross-sectional study conducted in a tertiary care academic medical center in 2010. Although the authors do not admit it, theirs is a convenience sample. After receiving approval by the medical center’s review board, the authors used the institution’s email system to send….....

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