A new program at Barnes-Jewish Hospital aims to help staff alleviate “compassion fatigue.” Developed by a leader in the field of compassion fatigue, the program is unique in the United States.
The idea developed out of concerns from nurse managers of several oncology units that nurses were continually stressed and burned out. These feelings were leading to high turnover in the units.
So, in 2009, Patricia Potter, RN, PhD, FAAN, director of research for patient care services, and Teresa DeShields, PhD, manager of psycho-oncology services, were approached for assistance with the situation. They started by surveying nurses, managers, patient care technicians, and respiratory therapists working in the oncology units.
The survey measured burnout and secondary traumatic stress. According to Potter, secondary traumatic stress results from caring for people who are experiencing trauma. Recurring exposure to loss, pain, and suffering can produce similar feelings in medical staff.
“There’s a quote by [Holocaust survivor and psychologist] Viktor Frankl: ‘What is to give light must endure burning,’” she says. “I think people who care for others understand. Caregiving is painful.”
Sometimes the pain reveals itself in symptoms that may include:
In the end, the effects of compassion fatigue will begin to reach beyond the individual staffer, says Potter. Burnout and secondary traumatic stress can lead to absenteeism, decreased work satisfaction, and high turnover. These factors are then associated with decreased patient satisfaction.
The development of the compassion fatigue program was a collaborative effort among Potter, DeShields, a committee of nurse managers, and Dr Eric Gentry, a certified traumatologist. Gentry is a pioneer in the field of compassion fatigue, says Potter.
The course formulated by Gentry and the committee attempts to educate nurses about the skills they need to ease physical, mental, and emotional stress and rediscover the reasons they became caregivers.
Source: Barnes-Jewish Hospital.
To sign up for our newsletter or print publications, please enter your contact information below.
