Essay on Compassion Fatigue

Are people born with a complete quandary when it comes to compassion or is it something that has always been there? Barbara Lazear Ascher, born in 1946, writes, “On Compassion.” Having lived in New York City, Ascher is able to take first hand examples from the city to show the affection people have towards each other. Ascher is able to illustrate that compassion is something that has to be taught because of the adversity at people’s heels by including tone, persuasive appeals, and the mode of comparing and contrast in her essay, “On Compassion.”

The purpose of this essay is to question the readers. Ascher wants the audience to analyze themselves to determine the reason behind why people show kindness, whether it is out of fear, pity, or compassion.

Compassion is one of the fundamental characteristics implemented into patient care by health care providers. Compassion signifies “a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering” (Compassion, n.d.). Nurses and other health care providers provide selfless service, tireless dedication, compassion, and often neglect their personal needs, which

Compassion is that feeling that motivates a person to help another human in need. Whether that need is an emotional, physical, or spiritual need. When caring for another human being, as nurses, we cannot help but feel that urge to help the person in front of us. We want to find the details that can

Within literature, Compassion has been described in many ways though very few descriptions have agreed on how it is best identified (Volpintesta 2011). Crowther et al (2013) describe compassion as a deep emotion that is felt by the individual practitioner allowing them to understand what the patient may be experiencing. Nussbaum (2003) argues that compassion goes beyond just understanding and identifying that emotion, it requires the practitioner to produce a response to the feeling or emotion in order to improve the situation. Dewar (2011) points out that compassion is not only about the recognition of the patients suffering but includes small

The incidence of compassion fatigue is increasing due to the heavy responsibilities placed on nurses and other providers, physically, mentally, and spiritually. Compassion can be a limited resource, our system is rooted in cognitive networks that tire and need refueling (Carey, 2011). Healthcare workers spend more time charting than

Longitudinal data was collected to determine the efficacy of resilience program at three and six month intervals (Potter et al., 2013). The longitudinal data in the study reported statistically significant results of decreased overall compassion fatigue through implementation of a compassion fatigue intervention program (Potter et al., 2013). A pilot study of a compassion fatigue resiliency program with thirteen oncology nurses showed promising results. “The program interventions were

Compassion fatigue is a huge reality and according to Potter et al. (2013), long-term effects of compassion fatigue have negative impact on the health, well-being and performance of nurses involved. Jean Watson’s theory of caring said, true healing cannot be realized without caring therefore, compassion fatigue is a problem that does not only affect nurses, but goes a notch higher by also affecting the quality of care offered by compassion fatigue victims. Boyle (2011) observed that there is need for nurses to be compassionate and caring especially when providing care to patients, families or relatives. Slatten et al. (2011) noted that compassion fatigue is an occupational hazard among nurses involved (that is, professionals involved in helping others). Compassion fatigue is therefore, a significant problem affecting professional practice in nursing because Rosa (2014) stated that, being a successful caregiver requires a nurse to be in a position to find the meaning in what they do, remain committed and immersed in order to gain a sense of purpose. However, compassion fatigue stands as a barrier to realization of sense of purpose among

Compassion is another valuable attribute of caring. Compassion is the sense of concern for others and their less than desirable situations. According to Perry (2009), compassion is the attention to minute details, generally exhibited in a face-to-face interaction with a patient/client (p. 18) and should be implemented when providing patient care and interventions. Attentiveness goes a long ways to enhance the well-being and quality of care provided to a patient/client. This in turn, establishes trust amongst a nurse/caregiver and a patient/client.

Scope of the Problem – It has been reported that 16-39% of registered nurses have experienced compassion fatique, and 8-38% experienced burnout.

Patient care may be at risk if a nurse is experiencing compassion fatigue. Nurses can start to exhibit distancing or desensitizing behaviors in order to cope with their stressors; thus leading to a decreased satisfaction in patient care and an ineffective therapeutic relationship. The failure of the nurse to identify their stress, can

In module one, I found Eric Scalise’s lecture on “Managing the High Cost Care” very helpful, particularly when he discussed Compassion Fatigue. Compassion Fatigue, also referred to as secondary or vicarious trauma, is when is when a person has not experienced a traumatic event directly but are around individuals who have so frequently that they, themselves, are impacted emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and/or relationally. Secondary trauma can also happen to those who witness a traumatic event happening to others.

if they had been successful in coping with the work stress or if they felt that the

Compassion fatigue is a cumulative process that is affected by interaction with patients and the nurses. Compassion Fatigue was first described by (Joinson, 1992) in a study of burnout in nurses who worked in an emergency department. He recognized that the compassion fatigue include the characters such as chronic fatigue, irritability, dread going to work, aggravation of physical ailments, and a lack of joy in life. (Figley, 2002) later defined compassion fatigue as a state of tension and preoccupation with the individual or cumulative traumas of clients. Compassion fatigue results from paying intensive effort and giving compassion over a prolonged period to those who are suffering, often without experiencing the positive outcomes of seeing patients improve (McHolm, 2006).

Compassion fatigue seems to be an epidemic in the health care profession. Since nursing, more specifically, can be high paced and full of stress, there is high risk for compassion fatigue. Kelly, Runge, & Spencer (2015) argue that compassion fatigue is “the combination of burnout and secondary traumatic stress” (p.523). Hunsaker, Chen, Maughan, & Heaston (2014) describe compassion fatigue as “feelings of hopelessness and apathy” (p. 187), which interferes with the ability to perform