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The dangers of compassion fatigue

Nurse Leader Insider, December 7, 2017

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Nurses are the frontline of patient care, making them the most susceptible to compassion fatigue, a state of mental exhaustion caused by caring for patients and their family through times of distress. It’s important that nurse managers are aware of the risks, identify the signs in their staff, and provide guidance to nurses that need it. While the increase in stress and unhappiness caused by compassion fatigue are evident, some of the other consequences are less obvious:

Increased medical risk: Compassion fatigue can lead to an increase in medical errors due to a lack of communication or inability to react. Nurses suffering fatigue can become unsympathetic, self-centered, and preoccupied, to the detriment of a patient’s care. To read more about this connection and how to counter it, check out Reduce Nurse Stress and Reduce Medical Error from HealthLeaders Media.

Decreased retention: The increased stress and potential trauma associated with compassion fatigue can drive new nurses away from the field. The American Association of Colleges of Nurse reports that 13% of newly licensed RNs work in a different career within a year of receiving their license, and 37% said they were ready to change careers. Many reported that the significant, ongoing emotional stress was a factor in their dissatisfaction.

For more information on combating nurse fatigue, check out the Health and Wellness section of the Strategies for Nurse Managers Reading Room:

Don’t underestimate damage caused by burned out nurses
Preventing nurse fatigue
Beat nursing stress and stay calm and collected
 

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