Source:
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/732211
Marilyn W. Edmunds, PhD, CRNP
Traumatic events leave indelible marks on those who are touched by them. Those who care for or help individuals who are working through a traumatic event can also experience stress. Compassion fatigue is the term used to describe the emotional effect of being indirectly traumatized by helping someone who has experienced primary traumatic stress. To date, compassion fatigue has been studied primarily in nonnursing groups.
When watching a patient go through a devastating illness or trauma, the nurse may react by turning off his or her own feelings, or by experiencing helplessness and anger. Many nurses find themselves repeatedly on the margin of a traumatic event in the course of patient care.
Compassion fatigue may occur in situations when an individual cannot be rescued or saved from harm, and may result in the nurse feeling guilt or distress. Hospice nurses; nurses caring for children with chronic illnesses; and personal triggers, such as overinvolvement, unrealistic self-expectations, personal commitments, and personal crises, are linked to compassion fatigue.
