Effect of a nurse‐led intervention programme on professional quality of life and post‐traumatic growth in oncology nurses

• Published in: International journal of nursing practice 2018-12, Vol.24 (6), p.e12687-n/a
• Main Authors: Yılmaz, Gülay, Üstün, Besti, Günüşen, Neslihan Partlak
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Behavior Therapy; Burnout; Burnout, Professional - prevention & control; compassion fatigue; Compassion Fatigue - prevention & control; Counseling; Creative therapy; Dance; Empathy; Fatigue; Female; Humans; Intervention; Job Satisfaction; Male; Middle Aged; Nurse Clinicians; Nurse led care; Nurse patient relationships; Nurses; nurse‐led intervention; Nursing; Occupational stress; Oncology; Oncology Nursing; Patients; Personal Satisfaction; Post-traumatic growth; Practice Patterns, Nurses; professional quality of life; Quality of Life; Sympathy
• ISSN: 1322-7114; 1440-172X
• DOI: 10.1111/ijn.12687

Aim To evaluate the effects of a nurse‐led intervention programme on compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and burnout, which are indicators of the professional quality of life and post‐traumatic growth of oncology nurses. Method The study was designed in a single group with pre‐test and post‐test comparisons. The nurse‐led intervention programme was carried out in two face‐to‐face sessions and two counselling follow‐up sessions by phone with 43 nurses who care for oncology patients at a university hospital. The nurse‐led intervention sessions consisted of a lecture on a relevant topic, background reading, baksi dance and mandala painting; motivational text messages and counselling. The Professional Quality of Life‐IV Scale and the Post‐Traumatic Growth Inventory were used, and data were evaluated using the “paired groups t test” analysis. Data for the study were acquired between March and April 2016. Results The evaluation carried out before and 5 weeks after the intervention showed that compassion fatigue and burnout decreased, while compassion satisfaction and all subscales scores of post‐traumatic growth inventory increased. Conclusion This nurse‐led intervention programme was effective in improving the professional quality of life and post‐traumatic growth of oncology nurses. SUMMARY STATEMENT What is already known about this topic? Working with cancer patients and their families is a stressful situation for oncology nurses. As a result of working with cancer patients and their families, nurses experience compassion fatigue/secondary trauma, stress, and burnout, and compassion satisfaction decreases. Few studies evaluate post‐traumatic growth and professional quality of life. What this paper adds? This study determined that a nurse‐led intervention programme is effective and useful for professional quality of life and post‐traumatic growth of oncology nurses. A nurse‐led intervention programme that consisted education, exercise, painting, and monitoring with social support network is a low‐cost intervention based on evidence that can be easily and effectively applied in a short time in clinics The implications of this paper: Health managers can arrange for nurse‐led intervention programmes and provide continuity for these groups for nurses working in oncology units.