Qualitative study on emotional experience associated with compassion fatigue and its coping strategy in clinical nurses

Objective To explore how the emotional experience and stress symptoms associated with compassion fatigue emerges, develops and subsides, as well as their coping strategy for compassion fatigue. Methods By purposive sampling integrating with snowball sampling method, semi-structured reviews with open-ended questions were conducted among 47 registered nurses who are working or have ever being in clinical frontline department to gain their in-depth views about compassion fatigue. Theme analysis was used to analyze the data. Results In emotional experience, two main themes were extracted: positive and negative emotion. Six subthemes including happy, high spirits, interests, sense of self-value, sense of achievement and occupational pride were extracted from positive emotion. While nine subthemes including compassion, grief, depressed mood, irritability, guilty, powerlessness, apathy, fear and anxiety were extracted from the negative emotion. Conclusions Clinical nurses are lack of basic knowledge about compassion fatigue, and their work and life are influenced by compassion fatigue. It should be emphasized and enhanced that domestic hospital administrators should identify and take precaution against compassion fatigue. Key words: Clinical nurses; Compassion fatigue; Emotional experience; Coping strategy; Qualitative study