Compassion Fatigue and Coping Strategies

Qualitative Research Study: Compassion Fatigue and Coping Strategies

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Qualitative Research Study: Compassion Fatigue and Coping Strategies

Background of study

According to Berg, Harshbarger, Ahlers-Schmidt, and Lippoldt (2016), Burnout Syndrome alias (BOS) and Compassion Fatigue (CF) are prevalent in emergency room departments. These departments are more often identified with trauma and patients with critical needs that act as catalysts to the mentioned syndromes. The objective of their qualitative study was to measure the mentioned syndromes, compassion fatigue, and burnout syndrome in emergency teams. In addition, the study also aimed at creating a safe environment where the trauma teams could share stress triggers and, as a result, come up with different coping strategies. The qualitative study comprised of a focus group and twelve practitioners who shared their perceptions on the typical stress triggers and their coping strategies. The results of the study exposed that more than half of the team was at risk of compassion fatigue and burnout syndrome. Moreover, the study revealed that the different stress triggers were related to injury treatment, patients' age, and their emotional state.

In the report of Kapoulitsas & Corcoran (2015), compassion fatigue is defined as the emotional experience of the practitioners who are in close contact with patients that have experienced trauma. Furthermore, the study elaborates CF to be a potential consequence triggered by empathic responses from the practitioners. This qualitative survey was aimed at analyzing the social workers' experience with traumatized patients. It examined what creates their resilience to the different situations which could be personal, organizational, or professional. Lastly, it discussed various ways in which social workers can be protected from compassion fatigue. Kapoulitsas and Corcoran (2015), qualitative analysis design used semi-structured interviews whose study subjects were six practitioners who all worked with distressed patients. In the opinion of Kapoulitsas and Corcoran (2015), four concerns were identified these were; the complexity of the social work that is the intensity of distress caused, unsupportive and supportive organizations, self-resilience to distressing situations and finally promoting well-being and resilience to the distressing experiences.

How do these two articles support the nurses' practice issue you chose?

Compassion fatigue or "the cost of caring" is an emotionally demanding nature of practitioners and the social worker's job description. The intricacy of managing distressed patients and managing personal emotions adds to the stressful nature of the profession. Moreover, the deep connection with the patients in an attempt to make them better exposed them to burnout syndrome and compassion fatigue. Nevertheless, social workers, research, and practitioner-focused research analysis acknowledge the importance of resilience in maintaining a balanced emotional state in the work environment (Kapoulitsas & Corcoran 2015). In effect, this ensures the provision of high-quality service delivery.

In my PICOT question, I accredit psychotherapy as a compelling way through which health organizations can effectively deal with compassion fatigue and burnout syndrome; psychotherapy is identified as a significant stress coping mechanism for the practitioners and social workers. As claimed by Berg et al. (2016), the insidious nature of compassion fatigue and burnout syndrome has little focus. Each of the two articles using qualitative methods aims at gaining insight into the stress factors that lead to the mentioned syndromes and identifying coping strategies. The coping strategies are not viewed as personality traits in each of the analysis but instead as a modifiable construct influencing resilience through psychosocial factors.

Method of study

Berg et al. (2016) study method employed a focus group with an individual above eighteen years who all worked in the Midwestern Level 1 Trauma center. The participation of the trauma focus group was on the invitation and voluntary. Additionally, informed consent was gained before the sessions begun. A total of three assessment tools were used these being; analysis on the recognized quality of life, survey for data on demographics, and finally, a stress inventory. On the report of Berg et al. (2016), the different scales used for assessment included the Holmes-Rahe stress inventory, this was useful in reviewing how stressful and traumatizing life events can lead to illness. The second scale used was the Professional Quality of life scale, that aimed at exploring the satisfaction of the professionals with their job. This scale examined disconnectedness, exhaustion, and overwhelmed feelings by trauma as part of the study. The third scale was the demographic information that generally included personal information, for example, ethnicity, age, and job expertise. Lastly, Berg et al. (2016) study involved a script on the stress triggers in the profession and how self-care coping mechanisms. Notably, the study included compassion satisfaction and trauma of specific education. Despite that, the study did not further its investigation on resilience methods that can be useful within the trauma teams as a unit.

As reported by Kapoulitsas & Corcoran (2015), the social constructionist method was used as the research design. The design's aim was meant to investigate the possibilities of resilience in trauma and distressed environments. Also, the research design involved community psychology and narrative theory as part of the study. The focus of the design was aimed at understanding the individuality of the professionals and their interactions with the collective system and the psychological implications the environment has on these individuals. As per Kapoulitsas & Corcoran (2015), the study comprised of six social workers who were all females within the age bracket of 23 to 32 years. The six participants we all employed in a community service organization. The qualifications of the participants ranged from undergraduate to postgraduate in social work within the job experience of three to twelve years. The interviews were conducted in a confidential space and focused on keeping the respondents anonymous. The semi-structured questions provided the flexibility the interviewer needed in relevance to the study. Nonetheless, the limitations of the interviews are that all respondents were females, given the rationale the study findings can only be limited to a specific gender.

Results of the study

On the report of Berg et al. (2016), there was a consensus that some intricate events caused more stress than others. The events that were associated with heightened stress levels included child abuse, emergency cases involving family members, avoidable situations, and lastly, experiences that were familiar to the professionals. The analysis of the finding suggested that the trauma teams may not be well equipped to deal with stressful factors as they perceived. Besides, the lack of institutional aid in coping with stressful events was of great concern. In spite of the efforts of the institutions to debrief attendants who encounter direct exposure to traumatic cases, there remains a gap in team coping strategies and a lack of intuitional resources useful for coping.

In the second article, Kapoulitsas & Corcoran (2015) suggest that it is crucial to understand the stressful experiences to provide insight on how best to deal with such situations. In addition, understanding the challenging situations limits threats to personal safety. Kapoulitsas & Corcoran (2015) also added that it is essential to have a supportive work environment that consequently shapes the resilience among the staff. In effect, the support from the organization provides an open environment where the team can openly share on challenging experiences. This approach was seen to enhance the professional output of the staff as per Kapoulitsas & Corcoran (2015).

Outcome comparison.

Compassion fatigue is a critical occupational hazard for the professionals with the most empathy in trauma or distressing situations. The cost of caring can occur abruptly, and it is important to prevent CF from happening. The expected outcome of my PICOT question in analyzing the usefulness of psychotherapy in helping professionals with compassion fatigue is that this design will significantly help the emotionally vulnerable staff in combating compassion fatigue. Psychotherapy can effectively cure compassion fatigue with help in processing certain emotions and implementing working strategies. In conformity with Kapoulitsas & Corcoran (2015), a strong social support system ensures the staff feels supported. The support is important in mitigating the effects of CF. Furthermore, my anticipated outcome principally agrees with Berg et al. (2016), that efficient internal mechanisms should be advocated in aiding trauma staff teams.

References

Berg, G. M., Harshbarger, J. L., Ahlers-Schmidt, C. R., & Lippoldt, D. (2016). Exposing compassion fatigue and burnout syndrome in a trauma team: a qualitative study. Journal of Trauma Nursing, 23 (1), 3-10.

Kapoulitsas, M. & Corcoran, T. (2015). Compassion fatigue and resilience: A qualitative analysis of social work practice. Qualitative Social Work, 14 (1), 86-101.