Burnout, compassion fatigue and resilience among healthcare professionals

Author(s):  
Deependra K. Thapa ◽  
Tracy Levett‐Jones ◽  
Sancia West ◽  
Michelle Cleary
2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 298-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Beaune ◽  
Barbara Muskat ◽  
Samantha J. Anthony

ABSTRACTObjective:Compassion fatigue, burnout, and vicarious traumatization are prominent topics in the current literature on the impact of the rewarding but challenging work of healthcare professionals who care for patients with life-limiting illnesses. The positive effects of caregiving constitute a newly emerging outcome that has been relatively unexplored in the pediatric literature, and yet they may play an important role in contributing to the satisfaction and well-being of the healthcare professionals who care for children who have a life-limiting illness.Method:This paper reports the results of a secondary analysis of qualitative interview transcripts that explored the experiences of hospital-based pediatric healthcare providers caring for children with varied life-limiting illnesses. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 25 healthcare professionals (9 social workers, 8 nurses, and 8 physicians). The majority of participants were women (80%), with an age range between 20 and 60 years, and most (84%) had the experience of caring for more than 15 dying children. Thematic analysis was conducted using interpretive description and constant comparison.Results:Every healthcare professional interviewed experienced personal growth as a result of their providing care for dying children. Three dimensions of personal growth were most consistently reported: (1) new or altered life perspectives, (2) enhanced personal resources, and (3) benevolence.Significance of results:A deeper understanding of the phenomenon of personal growth could help healthcare organizations to implement innovative approaches that would counterbalance compassion fatigue, and thereby enhance both healthcare provider well-being and child and family outcomes.


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (21-22) ◽  
pp. 4321-4330 ◽  
Author(s):  
María Dolores Ruiz‐Fernández ◽  
Juan Diego Ramos‐Pichardo ◽  
Olivia Ibáñez‐Masero ◽  
José Cabrera‐Troya ◽  
María Inés Carmona‐Rega ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 74 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vivian Jilou ◽  
Joyce Mara Gabriel Duarte ◽  
Rosa Helena Aparecida Gonçalves ◽  
Edson Elias Vieira ◽  
Ana Lúcia de Assis Simões

ABSTRACT Objectives: to identify the current state of knowledge on compassion fatigue in the work context of healthcare professionals; and how coping strategies are established in this scenario. Method: a scoping review with search applied to the databases: MEDLINE, LILACS, CINAHL, Scopus. Temporal limit: 2009 to 2019. The data was analyzed and synthesized in narrative form Results: thirty articles were selected, synthesized into two categories: a) Health work and compassion fatigue: conceptual analysis, context, and manifestations; b) Coping strategies for compassion fatigue. Conclusions: this study presented: a descriptive and general panorama about compassion fatigue in healthcare professionals, identifying a greater consolidation of the concept between 2015 and 2018; and some coping strategies. The association between health and spirituality is highlighted as one of the strategies in this scenario, enabling new research to be conducted in view of the importance of the theme in life, health work.


Critical Care ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. P19 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Van Mol ◽  
E Kompanje ◽  
J Bakker ◽  
M Nijkamp

2020 ◽  
pp. medethics-2019-105865 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet Delgado ◽  
Janet de Groot ◽  
Graham McCaffrey ◽  
Gina Dimitropoulos ◽  
Kathleen C Sitter ◽  
...  

The majority of healthcare professionals regularly witness fragility, suffering, pain and death in their professional lives. Such experiences may increase the risk of burnout and compassion fatigue, especially if they are without self-awareness and a healthy work environment. Acquiring a deeper understanding of vulnerability inherent to their professional work will be of crucial importance to face these risks. From a relational ethics perspective, the role of the team is critical in the development of professional values which can help to cope with the inherent vulnerability of healthcare professionals. The focus of this paper is the role of Communities of Practice as a source of resilience, since they can create a reflective space for recognising and sharing their experiences of vulnerability that arises as part of their work. This shared knowledge can be a source of strength while simultaneously increasing the confidence and resilience of the healthcare team.


2019 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Shantel Sullivan ◽  
Marie-Line Germain

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore compassion fatigue and psychosocial risks among healthcare professionals, which lead to increased work-related costs, including occupational suicide. Through this review and synthesis of the literature, the authors shed light on the causes that lead medical professionals to take their own lives. In addition, the authors explore the role of compassion fatigue as a leading cause of self-inflicted death. Design/methodology/approach A systematic approach was used to guide the review and synthesis of the literature. Key bibliographic and review databases were searched from the fields of social work, nursing, medical education, educational leadership, psychology, sociology and human resources. Findings In the USA alone, suicide has increased by 25 per cent since 1999, making it a leading cause of death. Data indicate that medical professionals are prone to compassion fatigue, work-related stresses and suicide at a greater rate than the general population, with surgeons reporting up to three times more thoughts of suicide than the general population. The synthesis and analysis of the literature yielded the following themes: compassion fatigue and suicides, burnout and compassion fatigue, career longevity and moral distress. Research limitations/implications Job stress and its negative impact on the workforce is rather well documented. Yet, job stress has shown to be a leading cause of workplace suicide, which represents a commensurable human and economic loss and has a direct impact on multiple human resources variables. Ongoing research is needed to see how the initial literature has evolved as new data emerges. Practical implications This paper presents best practices for training and development professionals to better respond to psychosocial risks and reduce work-related costs in the medical profession and beyond. Originality/value Studies on employee stress and suicide in the healthcare industry are scarce. Yet, they have human and economic impacts on organisations.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sofie I. Baguley ◽  
Vinayak Dev ◽  
Antonio T. Fernando ◽  
Nathan S. Consedine

Although compassion in healthcare differs in important ways from compassion in everyday life, it provides a key, applied microcosm in which the science of compassion can be applied. Compassion is among the most important virtues in medicine, expected from medical professionals and anticipated by patients. Yet, despite evidence of its centrality to effective clinical care, research has focused on compassion fatigue or barriers to compassion and neglected to study the fact that most healthcare professionals maintain compassion for their patients. In contributing to this understudied area, the present report provides an exploratory investigation into how healthcare professionals report trying to maintain compassion. In the study, 151 professionals were asked questions about how they maintained compassion for their patients. Text responses were coded, with a complex mixture of internal vs. external, self vs. patient, and immediate vs. general strategies being reported. Exploratory analyses revealed reliable individual differences in the tendency to report strategies of particular types but no consistent age-related differences between older and younger practitioners emerged. Overall, these data suggest that while a range of compassion-maintaining strategies were reported, strategies were typically concentrated in particular areas and most professionals seek to maintain care using internal strategies. A preliminary typology of compassion maintaining strategies is proposed, study limitations and future directions are discussed, and implications for the study of how compassion is maintained are considered.


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