Depending on which article you're reading, it's called anything from burnout to depression to compassion fatigue. For every name you can find, there's atleast five different causes. Regardless of the name or what you choose to blame, caring for the ill, injured, or worse takes a toll on nurses around the world. For the purpose of this entry, we're going to use the term "Compassion Fatigue" to describe the "deep physical, emotional and spiritual exhaustion accompanied by acute emotional pain" (Pfifferling & Gilley, 2000) often experienced by nurses.One of the articles I've read discusses compassion fatigue which the author calls an "occupational hazard of providing empathetic, relationship-based care to patients and families." (Lombardo & Eyre, 2011).
As previously mentioned, there are many causes that lead to compassion fatigue but more than likely it isn't just one cause. Fatigue, whether physical or emotional often results from a combination of factors, "develops over time and diminishes your energy and mental capacity." (Mayo Clinic, 2010). It may not be the first person you lose that bothers you. You may be able to push those feeling to the back of your mind and drive on but for how long? Eventually your emotional resevoir reaches it's limits.
Whether a new nurse on a floor or a well seasoned veteran, you can develop fatigue. Managing the stressers you are sure to face is key. I could spend thirty minutes of your time listing what some articles say are the "best" stress managers but I won't. I went to the experts myself, the senior nurses on my floor. In one interview I asked Ms. Cindy, a nurse with over 40 years experience, how she manages life on the floor. Her response was simple. "It's all about balance.You must keep the good and bad in balance." That evening, as I held her hand, I watched as one of my patients took her last breath. I remembered Ms. Cindy's advice. I was sad for the patient and her family but I recalled the patient that had been discharged earlier that day just in time to walk his daughter down the aisle the following weekend. I remembered reading his chart and learning of the motor vehicle accident he was in. It crushed his femor. After multiple surgeries the doctors doubted he'd ever walk again. I was the one fortunate enought to hold his hand as he took his first step just months later.
I now know I am not the only one impacted by those I care for; however, I have also learned there are some impacted far more than I. Compassion fatigue, regardless of what we wish to call it, is a serious condition facing nurses around the world. We have to learn to manage our stressers so we can continue to provide care for those who need it most.
References:
Fatigue - MayoClinic.com. (2010, August 14). Mayo Clinic. Retrieved February 2, 2012, from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fatigue
Gilley, K., & Pfifferling, J. (2000, April 7). Overcoming Compassion Fatigue - Apr 2000 - Family Practice Management. Home Page -- American Academy of Family Physicians. Retrieved February 2, 2012, from http://www.aafp.org/fpm/2000/0400/p39.html
Lombardo, B., & Eyre, C. (2011, January 31). Compassion Fatigue: A Nurse's Primer - OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing. American Nurses Association. Retrieved February 1, 2012, from http://nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories
This is a powerful post. It immediately reminds me of the stories my mom would tell when she was a nurse on an amputee ward during the Vietnam conflict. At one point she lost 8 soldiers in one day; the oldest was barely 20. I've asked her how she dealt with all that "compassion fatigue" and she was pretty matter-of-fact: "there were still wounded soldiers that needed us."
ReplyDeleteI love the sources, details, definitions, and explanations here. You get to the heart of the issue very quickly. Keep this coming! One of my professor friends is thinking about leaving teaching to go into nursing. I'm suggesting your blog for her to read. She needs to know what she's getting into!