Compassion Fatigue Paper

Words: 2635
Pages: 11

Improving the Work Environment to Create a Better Atmosphere and Improve Turnout Rate and Compassion Fatigue This paper addresses the problem of nurse burnout, compassion fatigue, and turnover rates in a labor and delivery unit. This paper includes a problem statement, a critical appraisal of five research studies, a PICO statement, and recommendations for evidence-based practice. First, is the problem statement which identifies the workplace setting and patient populations that are impacted by the problem; current data to support the current practices contributing to the problem; and the negative impacts the problem has on patients. After the problem is discussed, an analysis of five evidence-based studies with effective interventions will …show more content…
A widespread phenomenon, burnout is a reduction in a nurse’s energy, which leads to exhaustion both physically and mentally, causing a distant feeling from work, and decreased efficiency, (American Nurses Association, 2024). According to the American Nurses Association (2024), in 2020 a survey revealed that 62% of nurses experience burnout, becoming especially common in nurses under age 25, with results from the survey showing 69% experienced burnout in healthcare systems in the United States. Current practices that are occurring in the labor and delivery unit that could be contributing to high burnout rates could be unsafe staffing ratios, demanding workloads, long hours, and emotional exhaustion, leading to a negative work environment and lack of compassionate patient care. Data from a labor and delivery unit on turnover rates caused by burnout are as follows: 9.92% left the bedside from 7/1/20-6/30/21, 29.82% of nurses on the unit left between 7/1/2021 to 6/30/2022, and 7/1/22-6/20/23 13.83% had …show more content…
This intervention began with a nationwide job satisfaction survey that consisted of over 3,300 nurses. Results from the survey showed that 55% reported their job could be having negative effects on their health. Dorothea Orem’s Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory (SCDNT) is the theoretical framework of this study. The theoretical framework is for “guiding nurses to overcome self-care deficits with self-care concepts,” the goal of SCDNT is to meet the body’s self-care needs. Owens linked self-care with nursing practice, because self-care can help with maintaining a healthy balance of life, health, and overall well-being. Owens stated that stress can be decreased if an individual performs self-care routinely and can help with the burden of being a caregiver (Owens, et al., 2020). 45 nurses were recruited for this study (N=45), with only 71% of nurses completing the full study, making the total participants N=32 (Owens, et al.,