Compassion Fatigue, Burnout, and Compassion Satisfaction Among Oncology Nurses in the US and Canada

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Research Question
Research Design
Sample
Data Collection Tools
Limitations
Findings
Summary
References

Introduction

Nursing professionals provide high-quality care to patients that is not confined to the administration of medication and other clinical procedures. Nurses also provide psychological and emotional support to people who are often in pain or at a loss due to their health conditions. The provision of such comprehensive care often results in nursing practitioners burnout and compassion fatigue that, in their turn, have a negative effect on their performance, motivation, as well as emotional and physical state. Wu, Singh-Carlson, Odell, Reynolds, and Su (2016) explored compassion fatigue, burnout, and compassion satisfaction in oncology nurses. The major finding is concerned with the positive impact of the favorable working environment. Healthcare practitioners and administrators will benefit from reading the article as they will be able to ensure compassion satisfaction of the nursing staff and low levels of compassion fatigue and burnout. This paper includes a brief analysis of the article by Wu et al. (2016) as well as its implications for evidence-based practice as the study highlights the importance of proper work environments.

Research Question

The established research questions were associated with the identification of nurses demographic characteristics and the differences between Canadian and American nurses compassion fatigue and satisfaction. Al-Majid, Carlson, Kiyohara, Faith, and Rakovski (2018) also examined factors affecting compassion fatigue in charge nurses, oncology and critical care nurses and reported similar findings. The researchers also found that work environments had a positive influence on nurses well-being and negatively correlated with compassion fatigue (Al-Majid et al., 2018). Wu et al. (2016) went beyond the boundaries of certain clinical settings but tried to identify any differences in nurses compassion fatigue in two different healthcare systems.

Research Design

Wu et al. (2016) utilized the descriptive, nonexperimental study design to answer their research questions. The chosen approach is appropriate as it enables the researchers to elicit the data needed to address the research questions of the study. One of the primary goals was to explore the demographic factors associated with burnout, compassion fatigue and satisfaction. The descriptive approach enables the researchers to identify participants age, education level, work experiences and other characteristics, as well as these peoples compassion fatigue. The nonexperimental design is also relevant in this case since certain attitudes and features are central to the study rather than any external factors.

Sample

The overall number of participants that took part in the study was 549 (486 American and 63 Canadian nurses). The sample size is sufficient to draw preliminary conclusions on the matter. However, the demographic characteristics of the samples are quite questionable. First, the number of Canadian nurses is insufficient to compare the differences between nursing practitioners burnout and compassion within two healthcare systems. Secondly, the vast majority of participants (68%) were Caucasians (Wu et al., 2016). Finally, the number of nurses who worked over 20 years significantly outweighed the number of professionals who had five or ten years of work experience.

Data Collection Tools

The researchers employed surveys as the data collection tool. The modified Professional Quality of Life and Abendroth Demographic Questionnaire were utilized (Wu et al., 2016). The chosen design is appropriate for addressing the set research questions due to several reasons. On the one hand, the focus is on nurses emotional states and the ways they feel about certain issues. The questionnaires used in this study are effective when identifying employees burnout, compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction. On the other hand, demographic factors are also made visible in questionnaires. No significant ethical concerns were associated with the use of the data collection tools mentioned above. Although all questions were mandatory to answer, there was an option for the participants to avoid answering items they found sensitive.

Limitations

Limitations of studies should be identified, which will help in the development of new studies that contribute to the knowledge base concerning nursing practice. The limitations of the study are mainly associated with the sample. The issues mentioned above (small sample size, the prevalence of American nurses and those having 20-year working experience). Wu et al. (2016) also noted that the small number of male nurses was also a limitation as the number of such professionals was increasing each year. In order to address these limitations, it is necessary to ensure that equal numbers of people with certain characteristics take part in the research.

Findings

The purpose of the study under consideration was to compare the relationship between burnout, compassion satisfaction, and compassion fatigue in American nurses in comparison to Canadian nursing professionals. Wu et al. (2016) also examined demographic and work-related factors that affected led to compassion fatigue development in nurses. It was found that nurses who worked longer were at a lower risk for compassion fatigue. Education also correlated with lower levels of compassion fatigue. The findings are credible as they are similar to other studies results and the relevant data collection tools were used.

Summary

To sum up, the article in question is a relevant source contributing to the knowledge base concerning compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction and burnout in oncology nurses in the USA and Canada. Nursing practitioners compassion fatigue and satisfaction correlate with years in practice and education. Furthermore, work environments are central to nurses compassion satisfaction. The findings are credible and can become the basis for the development of policies and educational interventions for nurses. It is clear that teamwork and peers support is beneficial for nurses.

References

Al-Majid, S., Carlson, N., Kiyohara, M., Faith, M., & Rakovski, C. (2018). Assessing the degree of compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue among critical care, oncology, and charge nurses. JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration, 48(6), 310-315. Web.

Wu, S., Singh-Carlson, S., Odell, A., Reynolds, G., & Su, Y. (2016). Compassion fatigue, burnout, and compassion satisfaction among oncology nurses in the United States and Canada. Oncology Nursing Forum, 43(4), E161-E169. Web.

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