Combating Compassion Fatigue
The health care industry has one of the most stressing and strenuous working environments. Caregivers often suffer from fatigue due to the complex nature of their work (Bush, 2009). They often experience various mental, emotional, and physical effects due to the nature of their work. Although caregivers in the health care industry have a duty to show compassion towards their patients, it is important for them to take time off their work in order to relax (Gupta & Woodman, 2010). Providing care to patients is a vocation that entails a high level of specialization and handling of delicate issues. The complex nature of showing compassion to patients can easily have a negative effect on the caregiver if one works for too long without using some coping strategies (Cheng, Lin, Wang, & Hou, 2009). When caregivers dedicate too much of their energy towards giving care to their patients, they eventually suffer from a condition known as compassion fatigue. This condition is characterized by a reduction in the degree of compassion shown by a caregiver towards his or her patients. In most cases this happens due to burnout (Bush, 2009). Caregivers play a crucial role of supporting the medical system, whose work bases on the concept of providing care and showing compassion towards patients (Coe & Spreeman, 2010). In order to provide their patients with quality care, all caregivers in the health care industry should always create time to improve their physical and mental conditions through practices such as physical exercise (Gupta & Woodman, 2010).
Concepts of compassion fatigue
First, there is the emotional concept, which involves the feelings that caregivers develop due to the attachment one develops with his or her patient and the pain they go through. Some warning signs of this concept include frustration, guilt, incapacitation, nervousness, and emotional breakdown (Bush, 2009). Second, there is the spiritual concept, which involves the impact of patient experiences on a caregiver’s spiritual believes and attitude towards religion. Some warning signs of this concept include disbelieve in the existence of God, as well as a general lack of assurance and optimism in life (Gupta & Woodman, 2010). Third, there is the somatic concept, which involves physical changes that caregivers experience, but do not substantiate their mind or spirit. Warning signs of this concept include lack of hygiene, development of eating disorders, change in appearance, change in body weight, and a general lack of physical awareness (Gupta & Woodman, 2010).
Fourth, there is the behavioral concept, which involves the level of control that caregivers have in regard to the way they treat their patients and the attitude towards their situations (Bush, 2009). Warning signs for this concept include impolite manners, malicious comments, noncompliance, and failure to report to work. Others include poor judgment, evasion, as well as drug and substance abuse (Ekedahl & Wengstrom, 2008). Fifth, there is the cognitive concept, which involves the mental responses that a caregiver develops due to the knowledge of a patient’s situation and the agony they go through. Some of the warning signs of this concept include confusion, dullness, lower self-worth, minimization, anguish, and lack of forethought (Bush, 2009).
Nature of the problems and their causes
Problems that caregivers in the health care industry experience include burnout, depression, fatigue, and mental instability (Bush, 2009). Compassion fatigue is a major challenge to effective nursing practice, as the caregivers often feel overwhelmed by the intensity of their work. This disorder was first diagnosed among caregivers towards the end of the 20th Century (Gupta & Woodman, 2010). Caregivers often deal with all manner of stressing challenges that include emergency cases, traumatized patients, and cases that require highly specialized care (Cheng et al., 2009).
Providing care and showing compassion towards patients exposes caregivers in the health care industry to numerous experiences that can have a negative effect on their ability to work effectively (Ekedahl & Wengstrom, 2008). According to experts, caregivers in the health care industry should often create time of their tight schedules for engagements that give them an experience different from that in their workplace (Gupta & Woodman, 2010). This helps in managing the effects of showing compassion to their patients. Studies have established that most caregivers who fail to manage the effects suffered from their work effectively often transfer them to third parties that include their colleagues, close friends, and even family members (Coe & Spreeman, 2010). Caregivers suffering from compassion fatigue often vent out their anger, nervousness, and emotional distress on others if they fail to adopt coping strategies (Gupta & Woodman, 2010).
A number of factors are associated with the development of the compassion fatigue among caregivers (Espeland, 2006). One of the causative factors of compassion fatigue is the nature of a patient and their condition (Ekedahl & Wengstrom, 2008). Experts argue that some patients are hard to deal with and caregivers often experience burnout from looking after them. In addition, some conditions require highly specialized care that can often leave the care giver feeling exhausted (Bush, 2009). The other major causative factor of compassion fatigue is the nature of coping strategies used by a caregiver. In most cases, caregivers suffering from this disorder admit that they did not engage any coping strategies to manage the effects of their work (Coe & Spreeman, 2010). It is very dangerous for caregivers to neglect their own physical, mental, and emotional states, especially when their work involves helping others to restore their stability (Ekedahl & Wengstrom, 2008).
Physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of the caregiver
Physical needs of caregivers include healthy eating habits, regular exercise, getting enough sleep, avoiding abuse of drugs and substances, as well as taking enough water to avoid dehydration (Gupta & Woodman, 2010). Physical activity is very important for a caregiver because it helps to relax the mind and increase the stability of the body in readiness for work. Some of the emotional needs of caregivers include constant encouragement, reassurance, and emotional intelligence. Others include counseling, good relationships with colleagues, family, and friends, as well as being part of peer groups (Ekedahl & Wengstrom, 2008). Caregivers need someone to make them feel good and appreciated for their work. This gives them strength to continue working and avoid developing an attachment with their patients. Peer groups help caregivers to share their experiences, learn about coping strategies, and develop a better understanding of their emotions (Ekedahl & Wengstrom, 2008). Spiritual needs of caregivers include a reaffirmation of their faith, spiritual guidance, as well as developing a real meaning and value for life by developing their work ethics on the teachings of their respective religious beliefs (Bush, 2009).
Coping strategies that a caregiver can use
Caregivers can apply a number of strategies in order to cope with the effects of showing compassion towards their patients (Cheng et al., 2009). Examples of such strategies include counseling, increasing their personal awareness, regular physical exercise, adopting healthy eating habits, and avoiding the use of drugs (Ekedahl & Wengstrom, 2008). Others include separating work activities from personal engagements, reaffirming their faith, as well as establishing good relationships with colleague, friends, and family members (Gupta & Woodman, 2010). These strategies help caregivers to maintain emotional, mental, and physical stability, which is very crucial for quality provision of care to patients (Bush, 2009). Taking a break from work plays a crucial role in helping caregivers to revitalize their careers (Espeland, 2006).
References
Bush, N.J. (2009). Compassion fatigue: Are you at risk? Oncology Nursing Forum, 36(1), 24-28.
Cheng, C., Lin, C., Wang, S., & Hou, T. (2009). A study of job stress, stress coping strategies, and job satisfaction for nurses working in middle-level hospital operating rooms. Journal of Nursing Research, 17(3), 199-212.
Coe, B.G., & Spreeman, A. (2010). Program to Combat “Compassion Fatigue”. Web.
Ekedahl, M., & Wengstrom, Y. (2008). Coping process in a multidisciplinary health care team: A comparison of nurses in cancer care and hospital chaplains. European Journal of Cancer Care, 17(2), 42-48.
Espeland, K.E. (2006). Overcoming burnout: How to revitalize your career. Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 37(4), 178-184.
Gupta, V., & Woodman, C. (2010). Managing stress in a palliative care team. Pediatric Nursing, 22(10), 12-19.