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Kim and Park: Development and Application of an Overcoming Compassion Fatigue Program for Emergency Nurses
Original Article

Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing 2016; 46(2): 260-270.

Published online: 29 April 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4040/jkan.2016.46.2.260

Development and Application of an Overcoming Compassion Fatigue Program for Emergency Nurses

Yeong Ah Kim1, Jeong Sook Park2

1Department of Nursing, Suseong College, Daegu, Korea.

2College of Nursing, Keimyung University, Daegu, Korea.

Address reprint requests to: Park, Jeong Sook. College of Nursing, Keimyung University, 1095 Dalgubeoldae-ro, Dalseo-gu, Daegu 42601, Korea. Tel: +82-53-580-3907 Fax: +82-53-580-3916, jsp544@gw.kmu.ac.kr

Received 15 July 2015       Revised 20 July 2015       Accepted 17 December 2015

© 2016 Korean Society of Nursing Science

(open-access):

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution NoDerivs License. (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/) If the original work is properly cited and retained without any modification or reproduction, it can be used and re-distributed in any format and medium.

Abstract

Purpose

This study was conducted to develop a program to help emergency nurses overcome compassion fatigue, and to analyze the effects of the program.

Methods

A nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design was used. There were 14 participants in the experimental group and 18 subjects in the control group. The program was comprised of five, weekly 80-minute sessions including understanding and assessment of compassion fatigue, enhancing positive affect, balancing work-life, planning self care, training in relaxation techniques and cognitive restructuring, and getting social support. Research variables were ego-resiliency, compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue of the ProQOL 5, and salivary cortisol. Data were analyzed using Chi-square test, independent t-test, and paired t-test.

Results

The first hypothesis, "There will be a difference in scores for ego resiliency between the experimental group and the control group". was not supported. The second hypothesis, "There will be a difference in scores for compassion satisfaction between the experimental group and the control group" was supported (t=2.15, p=.046). The third hypothesis, "There will be a difference in scores for compassion fatigue between the experimental group and the control group" was not supported.

Conclusion

The first program for emergency nurses to overcome compassion fatigue in Korea was effective in increasing emergency nurses' compassion satisfaction and decreasing salivary cortisol level in the experimental group. Therefore, this program for overcoming compassion fatigue is useful to increase emergency nurses' compassion satisfaction. However replication studies of short-term intensive program reflecting emergency nurses' opinion are needed.

Keywords: Nurses, Compassion fatigue, Psychological resilience, Stress, Cortisol

Figures and Tables

Table 1

Overcoming Compassion Fatigue Program

jkan-46-260-i001
Table 2

Homogeneity Test of General Characteristics and Dependent Variables (N=32)

jkan-46-260-i002

*Fisher's exact test; Exp.=Experimental group; Cont.=Control group.

Table 3

Effect of Overcoming Compassion Fatigue Program in Ego-resiliency, Compassion Satisfaction, Compassion Fatigue (N=32)

jkan-46-260-i003

Exp.=Experimental group; Cont.=Control group.

Notes

This manuscript is a revision of the first author' doctoral dissertation from Keimyung University.

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST The authors declared no conflict of interest.

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