Compassion fatigue among healthcare workers in acute care contexts: An integrative review

Abstract

Aims Healthcare workers in acute care settings experience considerable emotional exhaustion in the course of patients caring on a daily basis, which might lead to manifestation of compassion fatigue that adversely impact their psychological well-being. Recently, there has been an increasing awareness in understanding compassion fatigue on healthcare workers, but the literature within this area remains ambiguous due to the use of different terminology in describing the issues of compassion fatigue. This integrative review aims to synthesize the existing research knowledge of the manifestation of compassion fatigue and the related concepts in acute care contexts.

Methods A review of literature from healthcare, medical, and social science databases was conducted according to the PRISMA guideline to determine the current understanding of compassion fatigue among healthcare workers in acute care settings. A total of 27 full-text research articles were retrieved for analysis.

Results The interpretation of the selected articles yielded five main categories, which included the prevalence, risk factors, protective factors, consequences, and management strategies regarding compassion fatigue among healthcare workers. Evidence highlights that organizational supports present paramount importance in preventing healthcare workers from the risk of developing compassion fatigue and ameliorating adverse impacts to their mental and psychological well-being.

Conclusions These findings provide an outline for decision makers of healthcare organizations to formulate strategic plan in helping healthcare workers to cope with compassion fatigue and the adverse consequences in everyday work and disaster events.