Skip to main content
eScholarship
Open Access Publications from the University of California

UC Irvine

UC Irvine Electronic Theses and Dissertations bannerUC Irvine

Decreasing Compassion Fatigue in Emergency Nurses through Resilience Training

Abstract

Background: Emergency Nurses are constantly exposed to traumatic experiences due to the nature of the Emergency Department. This exposure over time can lead to Compassion Fatigue and its subcategories: Burnout and Secondary Traumatic Stress. Literature shows evidence of higher levels of resiliency being related to lower levels of Compassion Fatigue, which in turn can lead to greater persistence in the nursing workforce. Resiliency can be learned through awareness and skills to help cope with stressful times and reduce suffering, like the Covid-19 pandemic. Aim: The goal of this Doctorate in Nursing Practice (DNP) project was to decrease Compassion Fatigue in Emergency Nurses using the Community Resiliency Model (CRM) for resiliency training. Design: Emergency Nurse participants completed a survey that included the Professional Quality of Life Version 5 (ProQOL V) scale and the Connor-Davidson Resilience 10-item scale (CD-RISC 10) at pre-intervention and eight weeks post-intervention. A one-time 1-hour intervention was delivered via Zoom using the CRM skills to build resiliency during a nursing shift. The nurse participants were provided the iChill app to use during the span of eight weeks for reference. Pre and Post-intervention surveys were compared to determine the effectiveness of the CRM skills to reduce CF. Results: There was a total of 19 Emergency Nurse participants who completed both pre and post-intervention surveys. There was a statistical significance in STS ( p <0.0016), and an improvement in the resiliency domain of flexibility. Although there were no significant changes in overall CF or Resiliency, results suggest that the one-time 1-hour CRM intervention helped with STS during a Covid-19 surge. Results also suggest that a one-time intervention may not be enough to reduce overall CF and increase resiliency in emergency nurses. Organizations need to support nurses by having a more long-term approach to CF and resiliency. Keywords: compassion fatigue, resiliency, emergency nurse, burnout,

Main Content
For improved accessibility of PDF content, download the file to your device.
Current View