Compassion fatigue among healthcare professionals working in intensive care units

Compassion fatigue is the “cost of caring” for others in emotional and physical pain. It is a work-related hazard, and large number of professionals who care for suffering clients can experience compassion fatigue. A descriptive study design using a convenience sample of (N=156) healthcare professionals working in ICUs through the period from March 10, 2018 to 20th of April 2018. Compassion Fatigue Scale (14 items) was used to answer the study questions. The study findings indicate that most of the healthcare professionals (65.4%) had moderate level of compassion fatigue. There was a gender difference in response to compassion fatigue; female professionals are at higher risk for compassion fatigue than male professionals. no significant difference was found among healthcare professionals in response to the phenomenon. All health care professionals working with suffering clients are at higher risk for compassion fatigue, especially female professionals and those with less years of experience. Increase the awareness of healthcare professionals working in ICUs about warning signs of compassion fatigue to increase their ability to cope effectively with emotional and work-related stress.