Compassion fatigue in nurses and influencing factors.

PURPOSE

To investigate compassion fatigue in nurses and the factors influencing the condition.

DESIGN AND METHODS

This descriptive, comparative, and cross-sectional study was conducted in state and university hospitals in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. A purposive sampling method was used.

FINDINGS

Almost all of the nurses have experienced low to moderate levels of compassion fatigue. Factors affecting the severity include age, years of seniority, service, marital status, children, and type of hospital.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Recommendations for reducing compassion fatigue are as follows: establishing clinical practice policies that reduce the development and possible consequences of compassion fatigue in addition to education and resilience training.