Sweden's emergency departments have an annual throughput of 2,5 million patients. Staff turnover is high for the nurses who work there and the work situation is often strained due to long shifts, time constraints, workload and critically ill patients. In order to maintain a high level of care and earn the trust of patients with acute needs, in addition to the six core skills, empathy, compassion and commitment are required. Compassion fatigue is the condition of negativism in the nurse with reduced patient compassion as well as decreased commitment, caused by cumulative secondary vulnerability in the treatment of patients exposed to trauma and severe events.
The aim of this study was to describe the symptoms of compassion fatigue, and measures to prevent and reduce this condition among emergency care nurses.
The method chosen was a literature review. A total of 17 scientific articles with publication dates from 2009 to 2016 were included. The databases that were selected were CINAHL, Medline, Psych Info, PubMed and Web of Science.
The results indicated that symptoms are experienced psychologically and physiologically. Emergency nurses felt re-experiencing, avoidance, and arousal as consequences of compassion fatigue. Measures to prevent the problem were (from the nurse’s perspective) to first acquire knowledge and then begin to strive for balance in your existence. Relationships inside and outside the emergency department were protective mechanisms, and the recommended strategy was problem-focused management. The employer's responsibilities were to educate their employees appropriately, organize regular support and ensure that the working environment favored emergency nurses both in terms of leadership and the opportunity for recovery and stability in the working group.
In conclusion, the signs of ongoing or incipient compassion fatigue are diverse, although they are not always linked with the phenomenon. By improving knowledge and awareness of this condition among emergency-care providers, the work of quality improvement can be conducted successfully. The literature suggests that convincing nurses to work long-term in emergency care and ensuring that they are able to continue providing quality care to their patients requires several strategies from several sources. Results show that emergency nurses equipped with the proper knowledge of this condition, symptoms of compassion fatigue and exhaustion can be detected and the condition corrected. It takes several parties to create resilience through strategies and abilities at nurses working in an emergency care department, in order to take care of their patients in a convincing and reliable manner in the long-term. It seems crucial to find a reasonable level, with enough intimacy and commitment, for good health to be achieved, without burning out the emergency nurse.Keywords: Compassion fatigue, burnout, turnover, emergency nurse