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Relationships Of Secondary Traumatic Stress, Compassion Fatigue, And Compassion Satisfaction Among Maternity Nurses Caring For Patients Who Succumbed To Maternal Mortality, Debra Joy Mendelson

Theses & Dissertations

Background:

Maternity nurses work where positive outcomes are the norm, leaving them more vulnerable to the adverse effects of dealing with death. Limited data indicate that caring for a maternity patient who dies may result in nurses developing secondary traumatic stress and associated compassion fatigue, which may affect their job performance. Research is warranted to promote a better understanding of nurses’ experiences, especially since the increase in maternal mortality has resulted in more nurses being exposed to maternal death.

Purpose:

The purpose of this study was to explore relationships between secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, and compassion satisfaction of maternity …

Using Critical Incident Debriefing After Code Blue Events To Support Registered Nurses, David L. Boyd

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Using Critical Incident Debriefing after Code Blue Events to Support Registered Nurses

Section I: Abstract

Background: During a code blue event (CBE), the environment becomes highly stressful and intense. Nurses rapidly transition from performing life-saving procedures on their patients to carrying out their usual duties. Without proper debriefing, nurses cannot properly process their emotions leading to increased burnout and secondary traumatic stress (Stamm, 2010).

Local Problem: In 2021, the nurses at Providence Saint John’s Health Center (2021a) responded to 110 CBEs, a 43% increase from 2020. Without a process for critical incident debriefing (CID), these nurses were exposed to trauma …

Compassion Fatigue: The Impact On Nurses During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Adrian Huynh

Nursing | Senior Theses

Background

Compassion fatigue comes from the physical, emotional, and psychological impact of helping others through stressful and traumatic experiences. It is a form of fatigue linked to burnout and secondary traumatic stress. Many nurses are vulnerable to compassion fatigue from repeated exposure to the trauma of their patients. While compassion fatigue has been a continuing issue, the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the risk and number of nurses developing compassion fatigue. This can affect patient care, workplace and personal relationships, and lead to development of more serious mental health issues.

Objective

To investigate the effects of compassion fatigue on the registered …

Relationships Of Secondary Traumatic Stress And Self-Efficacy Among Obstetric Nurses Caring For Patients And Families With Perinatal Loss, Jennifer Baierlein

Theses & Dissertations

Background

The labor and delivery unit is a place where new life begins, and families are made. Perinatal loss is a traumatic event for families and those that provide care to expectant families. In providing care to patients and families experiencing perinatal loss, nurses are at risk for secondary traumatic stress, which could be harmful to their physical and emotional state leading to compassion fatigue and burnout. Perinatal loss represents a stressful and emotionally demanding event for healthcare professionals, as they must deal with the additional burden of managing their own emotions while caring for the patients. Self-efficacy is a …

The Impact Of Student Trauma: A Quantitative Investigation On Secondary Traumatic Stress And It's Effects On Nursing Faculty, Devon L. Luthens

Education Doctorate Dissertations

The increase in student trauma and mental illness is putting direct care professionals such as educators at risk of secondary traumatic stress. The purpose of this quantitative survey method research was to explore how nursing faculty within the Minnesota State system were affected by their work with traumatized students and if they experienced significant distress or impairment. The theoretical framework guiding this dissertation was the McCann and Pearlman’s Constructivist Self Development (CSD) theory. There were two research questions that led this study: Does the amount of exposure to student trauma relate to the level of secondary traumatic stress experienced by …

Effect Of Compassion Fatigue And Burn Out Education In The Nurse, Pamela Spendiff

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Evolving changes in healthcare have caused increased levels of pressure on registered nurses (RNs) which increases compassion fatigue (CF), secondary traumatic stress (STS) and burnout (BO) and negatively affect compassion satisfaction (CS) which may affect a nurse’s abilities and skills to provide quality care for patients and cause the RN to leave the profession. The mindfulness technique is one method which may help reduce CF, STS and BO in RNs. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study, guided by the compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue model (CS-CF), was to determine what effect a mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) has on CF, BO and …

Psychosocial Effects Of Providing Nursing Care To Patients From A Multi-Casualty, School-Associated Shooting Event, William Travis Mccall

Doctoral Dissertations

Secondary traumatic stress describes symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder but that result from witnessing or experiencing the trauma of another individual through a helping relationship. The associated symptoms include intrusions, avoidance, and hyperarousal. Secondary traumatic stress is also associated with the development of compassion fatigue and burnout. The current state of the science identifies that secondary traumatic stress may affect those nurses who provide care to critically ill or injured patients. Research has most commonly examined the prevalence of secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, and burnout among nurses in emergency department settings. While attention is frequently given to the …

Balancing Provider Stress And Resilience In The Time Of Covid, Zachary Love

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Purpose: The purpose of this evidence-based practice project is to improve secondary traumatic stress (STS), compassion satisfaction, and burnout amongst providers—physicians, residents, and nurse practitioners—within the acute psychiatry units of the La Jolla Veterans Health Administration (VHA) through a one-time educational training session.

Background: Mental health providers at the VHA acute psychiatry units experience one of the highest risks for the development of STS, CF, and burnout amongst all professions due to a number of individual and institutional factors. STS is characterized by secondhand traumatization with symptoms similar to that of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder—difficulty sleeping, mood changes, upsetting images appearing …

Emotional Intelligence And Compassion Fatigue In Emergency Nurses, Kylie Yearwood

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Compassion fatigue (CF) is mental and emotional exhaustion that occurs over time in nurses who provide care to traumatized individuals and includes both secondary traumatic stress syndrome (STS) as well as burnout (BO), which results from being overwhelmed in the workplace. Emotional intelligence (EI) has shown to be helpful in nurses who work in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment, such as the emergency department. The purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional, descriptive study, guided by Orem’s self-care deficit nursing theory, was to determine whether there were relationships (a) between EI and CF in emergency nurses, (b) between EI and STS in emergency …

Using Provider Education About Self Care To Reduce Compassion Fatigue Among Nurses, Priscella Caron

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Project

Many have scrolled through Facebook and news stories highlighting nurses as “heroes” of the current coronavirus pandemic. Pictures of nurses in personal protective equipment while at work or clips of nurses making fun tiktok video’s celebrating recovered COVID -19 patients. Social media does not capture the sheer emotional, physical, and spiritual wear that nurses experience providing compassionate care to patients facing light threatening illness or events. Health care organizations are under pressure to control cost, increase productivity, and increase patient satisfaction scores, all while facing a pandemic crisis. This type of pressure can create inadequate staffing and increase clinical responsibilities …

The Watson Room: Mitigating Compassion Fatigue In Oncology Nurses, Patricia A. Viscardi

Doctors of Nursing Practice (DNP) Final Projects, 2020-current

Aim: The aim of this project was to plan, develop, and implement “The Watson Room” or “Quiet Room” in an inpatient oncology nursing population and evaluate changes in Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL).

Background: Oncology Nurses are at high risk for compassion fatigue (CF), burn-out (BO), and secondary traumatic stress (STS) related to the effects of living the traumas of oncology patients and their families through their cancer journey and the innate stress in a complex and intense workplace. High levels of compassion fatigue, burn-out, and secondary traumatic stress that are poorly managed reduces the nurse’s ability to self-regulate their …

Reducing Compassion Fatigue In Hospice Nurses Through Education, Gregory Daniel Friesz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Compassion fatigue is a secondary stress reaction that results from providing care to those undergoing traumatic life events. Frequent exposure to dying patients with complex medical concerns has been identified as a contributing factor to compassion fatigue and resultant turnover among hospice nurses. The purpose of this project was to assess whether the provision of education to hospice nurses regarding compassion fatigue resulted in a demonstrable improvement in their levels of compassion fatigue. Watson's theory of human caring and Roy's adaptation model provided the theoretical foundation for this project. The practice-focused question for this project asked whether a reduction in …

Investigating Compassion Fatigue In Medical-Surgical Nurses, Tammy Darlene Shepherd

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Medical-surgical nurses are consumed by providing care to patients and families and often forget to care for themselves. Compassion fatigue can lead to lack of caring for one’s self in the nurse’s life. The purpose of this thesis was to examine the existence of compassion fatigue among medical-surgical nurses and determine the correlation between the range of years of nursing experience and range of age in years. A review of the literature has identified that nurses should practice self-care to combat compassion fatigue. The theoretical framework was based on Jean Watson’s Theory of Transpersonal Caring. The Professional Quality of Life …

Nursing Burnout, Secondary Traumatic Stress, And Professional Support: A Case Study, Cheryl R. Sheffield

Nursing Theses and Dissertations

Day-to-day care of patients throughout the continuum of life puts medical surgical nurses at risk for burnout and secondary traumatic stress (STS). Due to the unpredictable nature of patient care, current burnout and STS interventions that take the nurse away from the bedside have high attrition rates. A feasibility pilot to test a mobile intervention left many questions unanswered regarding the medical surgical nursing population, burnout, and STS. This multiple case-study was developed to investigate nursing burnout, STS, and support from leadership and membership perspectives within one professional nursing organization. The Nurse as Wounded Healer Theory (NWH) that guided this …

Compassion Fatigue As It Relates To Nurse Turnover In Oncology Nurses At An Urban Hospital, Diana Wells-English

DNP Scholarly Projects

According to Stamm (2010), Compassion fatigue (CF) refers to the negative aspects of caring and compassion satisfaction (CS) refers to the positive aspects. Compassion fatigue is well documented in oncology nurses. It is a concept incorporating both burnout (BO) and secondary traumatic stress (STS). Nurses working with patients who have cancer are exposed to a multitude of stressors that may contribute to CF and ultimately high turnover rates. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationships between CS, STS, BO, and turnover intention in a sample of oncology nurses. The study is a correlational study utilizing survey methodology …

Nurses' Reflection, Compassion Fatigue, And Work Burnout - A Correlational Analysis, Sarah Urban

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Compassion fatigue and work-related burnout are harmful reactions to patient situations and work environments that negatively affect nurses' well-being and ability to provide safe, effective patient care. However, research is needed to understand how reflection as a self-care response to patient situations is related to nurses' development of work burnout, compassion fatigue, and secondary traumatic stress, a type of compassion fatigue. The purpose of this correlational, cross-sectional quantitative study was to determine the relationship between hospital-based acute care nurses' levels of reflection and their levels of compassion fatigue, secondary traumatic stress, and work burnout. The study was based on Hentz …

Defining A Person: The Nurse At Risk For Compassion Fatigue, Ellen Johnston

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The intent of this thesis was to examine compassion fatigue in nurses through analysis of research studies conducted within the past five years in an effort to identify predisposing factors to the experience of compassion fatigue. Individual and institutional factors were identified as well as current strategies to assist with management of compassion fatigue. Findings indicated that being new to practice, having a trait negative affect, being younger in age, having a history of exposure to trauma and working in high emotionally stressful units predisposed individuals to the experience of compassion fatigue. Institutional factors included a lack of managerial support, …

Compassion Fatigue In Medical Surgical Nurses, Ashlee Nicole Simmons

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Often nurses are consumed by providing care to others and forget to care for themselves. The lack of self-care can lead to compassion fatigue in the nurse's life. The purpose of this thesis was to assess the level of compassion fatigue within medical surgical nurses, and determine the correlation between years of experience as a registered nurse and compassion fatigue. The Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL-5) was used to identify the existence of compassion fatigue in medical surgical nurses. Data was collected and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. Seventy-five medical surgical nurses working in an acute …

Providing Care For Many In The Context Of Few Resources: Secondary Traumatic Stress, Burnout And Moral Distress Experienced By Healthcare Providers In Rural Uganda, Lauren Michelle Dewey

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In the context of the global nursing shortage, and particularly in low-resource settings, nurses are at an increased risk for work-related stress problems like secondary traumatic stress (STS), burnout, and moral distress. These three work-related mental health consequences, sometimes associated with absenteeism and intent to leave the profession, could potentially contribute further to the shortage of nurses. This two-part study is a longitudinal examination of the work-related mental health consequences experienced by healthcare providers in rural Uganda. In Study 1, participants (n=208; 159 students and 49 experienced health workers) completed self-report, psychosocial measures at baseline and 134 of the students …

The Effects Of Education On Compassion Fatigue Experienced By Oncology Nurses, Ina Wilson

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Oncology nursing is widely viewed as a rewarding and emotional challenging specialty. Oncology nurses witness terminal illness, death, physical, and emotional suffering which increases their risk of developing compassion fatigue. The purpose of this evidence-based practice (EBP) project was to increase awareness of compassion fatigue among oncology nurses by providing them with knowledge, effective coping skills, and self-care management skills. The Theory of Human Caring was used as the theoretical framework to support this EBP project and the intervention was guided by The Iowa Model of Research-Based Practice to Promote Quality Care. The project used a pre-test and post-test design. …

The Effect Of Education On Compassion Fatigue As Experienced By Staff Nurses, Kathryn L. Zehr

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Historically, nursing has been perceived as a highly rewarding profession. Yet, due to the increasing complexity of today’s healthcare, nurses are faced with greater challenges in their work environments. Registered nurses who work in tertiary care settings are exposed to disturbing patient situations including trauma, death, abuse, or chronic disease. Joinson (1992) described this experience as compassion fatigue and symptoms include headaches, short attention span, or fatigue. A review of literature has identified that nurses should be educated about risk factors and coping strategies to combat compassion fatigue. Guided by the Model for Evidence-Based Practice Change and Jean Watson’s Theory …

Identification And Prevention Of Secondary Traumatic Stress In Mental Health Professionals Who Work With Child Sexual Abuse Victims, Abby Duckworth Mcneil

Doctoral Projects

Secondary traumatic stress (STS) is an issue that may be experienced by mental health professionals who are exposed to clients' trauma materials and become and become at risk of becoming traumatized themselves. Mental health professionals working with sexually abused children are more vulnerable to STS due to their empathic engagement and level of exposure to trauma. The impact of STS can result in poor productivity, increase in illness, and turnover rates for mental health professionals. Cumulative effects of STS make awareness and early intervention imperative. Research has shown that members of the helping profession suffer emotional and physical illness more …