Source:
Journal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing, Volume 8, Number 6, p.p346 - 356 (2006)
URL:
http://search.ebscohost.com.liboff.ohsu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=23284487&site=ehost-live
Keywords:
HOSPICE nurses;
FATIGUE;
COMPASSION;
HOSPICE care;
ANXIETY;
FLORIDA;
burnout;
compassion fatigue;
hospice nurses;
secondary traumatic stress
Abstract:
There is a growing interest in the clinical phenomenon of compassion fatigue and its impact on healthcare providers; however, its impact on hospice nurses is basically unknown. This study investigated the prevalence and the relationships between nurse characteristics and compassion fatigue risk. It also provided a model for predicting compassion fatigue risk. A non-experimental descriptive design using cross-sectional data and descriptive and inferential statistics was used. Nurses (N = 216) from 22 hospices across the state of Florida participated in the study. Findings revealed that 78% of the sample was at moderate to high risk for compassion fatigue, with approximately 26% in the high-risk category. Trauma, anxiety, life demands, and excessive empathy (leading to blurred professional boundaries) were key determinants of compassion fatigue risk in the multiple regression model that accounted for 91% (P < .001) of the variance in compassion fatigue risk. Kno
