Aim: The aim of this article is to clarify the concept of compassion fatigue to develop methods for prevention and mitigation of compassion fatigue in the nursing profession.
Background: Compassion fatigue occurs when nurses develop declining empathetic ability from repeated exposure to others' suffering. Conceptual clarity is vital to curtail compassion fatigue via preventative and restorative measures at the individual and organizational level.
Design: Concept analysis.
Data sources: Databases searched were OVID, CINAHL Complete, Science Direct, Academic One File, Criminal Justice Abstracts, Education Full Text (H.W. Wilson), PsycARTICLES, PsycINFO, Social Work Abstracts, and Teacher Reference Center. Keywords included concept analysis, compassion fatigue, secondary traumatic stress, burnout, vicarious traumatization, compassion satisfaction, nursing, psychology, and social work. The timeline for data collection was from 1990 to 2017.
Methods: Walker and Avant's method of concept analysis.
Results: Compassion fatigue occurred across disciplines. Nurses were predisposed to compassion fatigue by repeated exposure of others' suffering, high stress environments, and the continuous giving of self. The consequences of compassion fatigue negatively impacted the nurse, patient, organization, and healthcare system.
Conclusion: All nurses are at risk for compassion fatigue. Prevention of compassion fatigue is achieved through professional boundaries, self-care measures, self-awareness, and education on the concept at the individual and organizational level.
Keywords: concept analysis; holistic health; nursing theory; professional issues.
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