The difference between compassion fatigue and exhaustion is its origin. More specifically, compassion fatigue originates from dealing with victims of trauma, and burnout is caused by occupational stress and overwork. Compassion fatigue has symptoms similar to those of exhaustion. Compassion fatigue is a concern to absorb trauma and emotional stress from others, and this creates secondary traumatic stress in the person who helps.
Compassion fatigue can be defined as the emotional residue of exposure when working with those who suffer the consequences of traumatic events. The prolonged exposure caused by listening to clients' traumatic stories makes you susceptible to compassionate fatigue and isn't always easy to identify. The beginning also separates the two conditions. Compassion fatigue can occur immediately after a nurse experiences secondary trauma. Burnout usually develops over time as work stress builds up.
Signs of compassion fatigue include headaches, sadness, pain, avoiding working with certain people, nightmares, and changes in belief systems. Compassion fatigue is a specific form of exhaustion caused by a professional's deep investment in helping others. If they also care for children or older family members, nurses may respond to them with indifference or feel unable to satisfy properly your needs. A stressful and negative work environment causes burnout, while the impact of caring for others causes compassionate fatigue.
National Center for Biotechnology Information, The potential of COVID-19 to contribute to compassion fatigue in intensive care nurses. In addition, nurses who experience compassion fatigue may notice changes in appetite, difficulty focusing, and decreased memory. To keep compassion fatigue at bay, nurses must get enough rest, maintain a healthy diet, and stay physically active. When human resources professionals no longer feel empowered as helpers in their workplaces or can't make a difference because of barriers beyond their control, they can develop compassion fatigue.
By managing these evaluations, nurse leaders can engage their teams in discussions about fatigue caused by compassion, its dangers, and strategies for managing it. Because the signs of compassion fatigue are similar to the symptoms of burnout, it's difficult to identify exactly what causes these mental health problems in many employees. For example, nurses who are overly fatigued may make more diagnostic errors and administer medications incorrectly. This webinar teaches your HR team how to identify, cope with, and most importantly, prevent compassion fatigue in themselves and team members.
To combat compassionate fatigue, healthcare providers should highlight the various resources that nurses can access to avoid or overcome it, such as support groups or reading materials that address the problem.
