Compassion Fatigue

Battling Compassion Burnout Begins Within the Mind

Bea A. Pasamba, Department of Nursing, California State University, Bakersfield Med/Surg (Theory) NURS 2130-01 Professor Krystal J. Ball MSN/ED, RN, CCRN-K March 3, 2024.

Battling Compassion Burnout Begins Within the Mind: Nurses’ overall physical and mental health is greatly affected by the unrealistic workloads and expectations set on them. Consequently, this toll leads to compassion burnout and lower quality of care for patients. Compassion fatigue isn't the only mental or emotional challenge nurses face, “Post-traumatic stress disorder is another commonly reported diagnosis among health care workers.50% of health care workers reported this diagnosis, with nurses representing the most …show more content…
The focus on supporting the health and well-being of nurses is crucial as the quality of care that nurses provide heavily correlates with their own well-being (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2021). Mindfulness-based practices are a great intervention to combat compassion fatigue nurses experience. “Because of the various ways RNs can express compassion fatigue, a holistic approach that addresses physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional well-being is recommended to.alleviate symptoms of compassion fatigue” (Tripathi, 2023, p. 34). The prevalent issue of burnout experienced by nurses must be addressed before placing the expectation of providing the utmost quality care to their patients on them, therefore this paper will be discussing the use of mindfulness-based interventions to battle nurses’ compassion fatigue. Discussion The saying “you must take care of yourself before you take care of others” is a common, yet true perspective that is an undeniable practice nurses must follow, otherwise they may fall victim to compassion fatigue. Only five minutes are needed before each shift to huddle and implement mindfulness-based practices, or …show more content…
654). Nurses who are overworked with unrealistic expectations, such as impractical patient-nurse ratios, are more likely to overlook performing certain aspects of care that are essential in providing the highest quality of care. For example, a nurse who is in a rush to take care of five or more patients may forget to individualize each person by engaging in comforting conversations and providing personalized education. This is why it is crucial that nurses are encouraged to practice mindfulness-based techniques, such as meditation or taking a second to themselves, whether it be on their break or free time, without feeling guilty for taking care of themselves first. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an overwhelming increase in fatigued and burnt out nurses, making “Supporting the health and well-being of nurses” one of the most necessary changes needed to be addressed as “Nurses often cope with.moral burdens of caring for patients with a new and unpredictable disease and helping with contact tracing and testing” (National Academy of Medicine, 2020). In

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