Clinical nurses' compassion fatigue psychological experience process: a constructivist grounded theory study

Clinical nurses are susceptible to compassion fatigue when exposed to various types of traumatic events in patients for extended periods of time. However, the developmental process, staging, and psychological responses distinct to each stage of compassion fatigue in nurses are not fully clarified. T...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:BMC nursing 2023-12, Vol.22 (1), p.487-487, Article 487
Main Authors: Zhang, Jie, Zou, Jie, Wang, Xiao, Luo, Yaoyue, Zhang, Jin, Xiong, Zhiyao, Zhang, Jingping
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Care and treatment
Causes of
Clinical nurses
Compassion
Compassion fatigue
Constructivist grounded theory
Data analysis
Diagnosis
Fatigue
Grounded theory
Interviews
Literature reviews
Nurses
Nursing care
Patient satisfaction
Psychological aspects
Psychological experience
Qualitative research
Qualitative study
Quality of life
Secondary traumatic stress
Social aspects
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Summary:Clinical nurses are susceptible to compassion fatigue when exposed to various types of traumatic events in patients for extended periods of time. However, the developmental process, staging, and psychological responses distinct to each stage of compassion fatigue in nurses are not fully clarified. This study aimed to explore the processes of compassion fatigue and the psychological experiences specific to each phase of compassion fatigue among clinical nurses. Charmaz's Constructivist Grounded Theory methodology was used in this qualitative research. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 clinical nurses with varying degrees of compassion fatigue from December 2020 to January 2021. Interview data were analyzed using grounded theory processes. The data were categorized into five separate categories and 22 sub-categories. This study found that the process of compassion fatigue is dynamic and cumulative, which was classified into five phases: compassion experience period, compassion decrement period, compassion discomfort period, compassion distress period, and compassion fatigue period. Clinical nurses who experience compassion fatigue may go through five stages that are stage-specific and predictable. The findings can shed light on local and global applications to better understand the problem of nurses' compassion fatigue. The interventions for addressing compassion fatigue in clinical nurses should be stage-specific, targeted, and individualized.
ISSN:1472-6955
1472-6955
DOI:10.1186/s12912-023-01665-3