Compassion Fatigue Essay Example

Introduction section

All healthcare workers should be able to be supported so that their capacity for empathy is preserved, however, this has not been the case since many cases of compassion fatigue have been reported among nurses. Nurses experience fatigue for a number of reasons when the conditions under which they provide health care services are not favorable to them. The problem of compassion fatigue among these healthcare professionals have emerged and risen to a significant issue of concern in the various healthcare institutions such as the Chicago Lakeshore Hospital. This calls for the need to establish a proper intervention plan which will, in the end, solve the current nurse problems by reducing the extent to which they experience compassion fatigue. Various works of literature suggest the implementation of the wellness plan as a suitable interventional measure to this given problem. This paper provides a literature review of the works published on this issue by comparing the approaches of the respective researchers involved.

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A comparison of research questions

The articles based on their respective researches include different research questions, which are, however, related in a way based on the issue compassion fatigue and the need to achieve wellness among the nurses. Ammendolia et al. (2016) focused on the investigation of the impacts of presenteeism and the ways through which it can be reduced. The research tends to emphasize the need to identify priorities for the nurses so that the number of hours of duty is significantly reduced. Ansley, Houchins, and Varjas (2016) establish a research question based on how to manage stress among nurses. There is also a major concern regarding the satisfaction of the nurses about their job (Arian, Soleimani & Oghazian, 2018). Other researchers are also concerned about the reasons why nurses may opt to quit their job or be absent from their duty (Burmeister et al., 2018). According to McKinley, Boland, and Mahan (2017) were concerned about burnouts among the nurses and the potential impacts. The focus of the research questions across the articles is mainly the cause of compassion fatigue and the appropriate measures to reduce them.

A comparison of sample populations

The various researchers for the respective articles formulated specific sample populations which were intended to investigate the common theme of the problem of compassion fatigue among the nurses. All the research articles included a good number of health practitioners who served as the various samples for the purpose of investigating the extent to which the problem is experienced and how it affects them. For example, Ammendolia et al. (2016) worked with 800 from a healthcare institution in Toronto Canada. This was a good number which would give detailed results on the topic. Others like Arian, Soleimani, and Oghazian (2018) employed systematic review of databases involving 971 articles which were written about the problem of compassion fatigue among the nurses and the implementation of the wellness program as an interventional approach for the same. Others, however, used a limited sample probably because of the need to be able to have a relatively small population that can be easily managed.

A comparison of the limitations of the study

The aspect of limitation that was common resulted from the choice of the sample population. Most of the researchers considered a limited number of people which to a given extent would have restricted the ability of the researchers to answer the research questions appropriately. For instance, Wang, Chou, and Lai (2018) used 30 healthcare professionals as a sample population which was insufficient in a way. The response of the chosen individuals used to draw conclusions on the question under inquiry would not be adequate, and the results would be misleading. Moreover, most of the articles used more patients as samples than nurses which would not provide the actual information based on the problem in question. This is because the nurses interact with the various aspects of fatigue directly; the focus of the topic is the problem of compassion fatigue among the nurses, not the patients. This would occur as a limiting factor based on the need to research on the problem and suggest the solution; intervention of the wellness program.

A conclusion section, incorporating recommendations for further research

Compassion fatigue is a serious problem among nurse practitioners and this has a serious impact on their daily tasks and their overall professional job. The problem results from the lack of programs which cover the welfare of the nurses at the various workplaces. However, the use establishment and implementation of a wellness program can be used as a strategic interventional approach to the solution of compassion fatigue among the nurses. The future research should, therefore, focus on investigating thee how the given form of intervention can be used to help improve the lives of the nurses at their various workplaces. Moreover, future research should emphasize the importance of the approach to influence all the healthcare institutions to integrate it to assist the professionals to reduce fatigue.

References

Ammendolia, C., Cote, P., Cancelliere, C., Cassidy, J. D., Hartvigsen, J., Boyle, E., & ... Amick III, B. (2016). Healthy and productive workers: Using intervention mapping to design a workplace health promotion and wellness program to improve presenteeism. BMC Public Health, 16(1), 1-18. DOI:10.1186/s12889-016-3843-x

Ansley, B. M., Houchins, D., &Varjas, K. (2016). Optimizing special educator wellness and job performance through stress management. Teaching Exceptional Children, 48(4), 176-185.

Arian, M., Soleimani, M., &Oghazian, M. (2018). Job satisfaction and the factors affecting satisfaction in nurse educators: A systematic review. Journal Of Professional Nursing, 34(5), 389-399. DOI: 10.1016/j.profnurs.2018.07.004

Burmeister, E., Kalisch, B., Xie, B., Doumit, M., Lee, E., &Ferraresion, A. et al. (2018). Determinants of nurse absenteeism and intent to leave: An international study. Journal Of Nursing Management. DOI: 10.1111/jonm.12659

McKinley, T. F., Boland, K. A., & Mahan, J. D. (2017). Review: Burnout and interventions in pediatric residency: A literature review. Burnout Research, 69-17. DOI:10.1016/j.burn.2017.02.003

Sinclair, S., Raffin-Bouchal, S., Venturato, L., Mijovic-Kondejewski, J., & Smith-MacDonald, L. (2017). Compassion fatigue: A meta-narrative review of the healthcare literature. International Journal Of Nursing Studies, 69, 9-24. doi: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2017.01.003

Wang, K., Chou, C., & Lai, J. (2018). A structural model of total quality management, work values, job satisfaction and patient-safety-culture attitude among nurses. Journal Of Nursing Management, 22(1). DOI: 10.1111/jonm.12669

Webster, J., McLeod, K., O'Sullivan, J., & Bird, L. (2018). Eight-hour versus 12-h shifts in an ICU: Comparison of nursing responses and patient outcomes. Australian Critical Care, 21(12). DOI: 10.1016/j.aucc.2018.08.004

Wein, D. (2015). Worksite wellness programs offer valuable benefits to both employers and employees. Employment Relations Today (Wiley), 41(4), 35-43. DOI:10.1002/ert.21472