Department of Social Work,The Hospital for Sick Children,Toronto,Ontario,Canada.
Palliat Support Care. 2018 Jun;16(3):298-307. doi: 10.1017/S1478951517000396. Epub 2017 May 22.
ABSTRACTObjective:Compassion fatigue, burnout, and vicarious traumatization are prominent topics in the current literature on the impact of the rewarding but challenging work of healthcare professionals who care for patients with life-limiting illnesses. The positive effects of caregiving constitute a newly emerging outcome that has been relatively unexplored in the pediatric literature, and yet they may play an important role in contributing to the satisfaction and well-being of the healthcare professionals who care for children who have a life-limiting illness.
This paper reports the results of a secondary analysis of qualitative interview transcripts that explored the experiences of hospital-based pediatric healthcare providers caring for children with varied life-limiting illnesses. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 25 healthcare professionals (9 social workers, 8 nurses, and 8 physicians). The majority of participants were women (80%), with an age range between 20 and 60 years, and most (84%) had the experience of caring for more than 15 dying children. Thematic analysis was conducted using interpretive description and constant comparison.
Every healthcare professional interviewed experienced personal growth as a result of their providing care for dying children. Three dimensions of personal growth were most consistently reported: (1) new or altered life perspectives, (2) enhanced personal resources, and (3) benevolence.
A deeper understanding of the phenomenon of personal growth could help healthcare organizations to implement innovative approaches that would counterbalance compassion fatigue, and thereby enhance both healthcare provider well-being and child and family outcomes.
摘要目的：同情疲劳、倦怠和替代性创伤是当前关于照顾患有绝症患者的医护人员工作的影响的文献中的突出主题。关怀的积极影响是一个新出现的结果，在儿科文献中相对没有得到探索，但它们可能在促进照顾患有绝症的儿童的医护人员的满意度和幸福感方面发挥重要作用。
本文报告了对定性访谈记录进行二次分析的结果，这些记录探讨了在医院工作的儿科医护人员照顾各种绝症儿童的经历。对 25 名医护人员（9 名社会工作者、8 名护士和 8 名医生）进行了深入的定性访谈。大多数参与者是女性（80%），年龄在 20 岁至 60 岁之间，大多数（84%）有照顾超过 15 名临终儿童的经验。使用解释性描述和不断比较进行主题分析。
每位接受采访的医护人员都因照顾临终儿童而经历了个人成长。个人成长的三个维度得到了最一致的报告：（1）新的或改变了的生活视角，（2）增强的个人资源，和（3）仁慈。
更深入地了解个人成长现象可以帮助医疗保健组织实施创新方法，以平衡同情疲劳，从而提高医疗保健提供者的幸福感和儿童及家庭的结果。
