...Countering Compassion Fatigue: A Requisite Nursing Agenda Deborah A. Boyle, MSN, RN, AOCNS®, FAAN Abstract Nurses have a longstanding history of witnessing the tragedy experienced by patients and families; however, their own reactions to profound loss and premature death have not been systematically addressed. There is a paucity of research describing interventions to prevent or minimize the ramifications of repeated exposure to traumatic events in the clinical workplace. Compassion fatigue is a contemporary label affixed to the concept of personal vicarious exposure to trauma on a regular basis. Yet this phenomenon of compassion fatigue lacks clarity. In this article, the author begins by describing compassion fatigue and distinguishing compassion fatigue from burnout. Next she discusses risk factors for, and the assessment of compassion fatigue. The need to support nurses who witness tragedy and workplace interventions to confront compassion fatigue are described. Citation: Boyle, D., (Jan 31, 2011) "Countering Compassion Fatigue: A Requisite Nursing Agenda" OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing Vol. 16, No. 1, Manuscript 2. DOI: 10.3912/OJIN.Vol16No01Man02 Key words: Compassion fatigue, nurse stress, work setting improvements, communication skills Nurses care for ill, wounded, traumatized, and vulnerable patients in their charge. This exposes them to considerable pain, trauma, and suffering on a routine basis (Coetzee & Klopper, 2010; Hooper, Craig, Janvrin, Wetzel...
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...WHY ARE NURSES LEAVING? Aminata Mansaray Grand Canyon University November 23, 2012 WHY ARE NURSES LEAVING? Nursing shortage has created a serious challenge in the health care delivery system, as there are not enough nurses to meet the patient’s demand. This shortage is a major concern in the health care system as it has a great impact on the quality of care to be provided. It was stated that by the nursing workforce in the United States, that registered nurse (RN) shortage may exceed five hundred thousand by the year 2025 (American Association of Colleges of Nursing [AACN], 2010; Cipriano, 2006; United States Department of Health and Human Services,2002). Several factors have contributed to Registered Nurses (RNs) leaving clinical nursing practice. These includes job dissatisfaction, increase in age of working nurses, verbal and physical abuse from managers, physicians and co-workers, lack of support from members of staff, fatigue and exhaustion due to work overload, and retention and recruitment. This situation can be improved by ensuring adequate nurse to patient ratios by reducing work load, promoting respects of nurses, giving rewards and recognizing nurses for a job well done, empowering nurses and nursing management, and increasing recreational activities for nurses to reduce fatigue and burnout. Purpose and Research Questions The study was conducted...
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...a word that can be understood in different ways. Harrison, P. (2009) The importance of compassion is vital in any care setting where there are vulnerable people. The nurses, doctors and any other healthcare professional that is part of the team who deliver the care need to understand how important it is to understand this concept. Delivering compassion care can be something as small as holding somebody’s hand when they are in the later stages of their life, if they feel scared or another thing is as simple as listening to the patient and to hear their problems. The patient will feel better and the nurse should feel good about themselves too knowing that something as small as holding somebody’s hand or listening has benefited that patient. The nursing standard had a report on how student nurses are eager to deliver good and professional compassionate care to their patients when out on practice however lack of time and paperwork are factors on how much time they can actually spend with their patients. It has been said that a high amount of nurses in the NHS are set to retire over the next few years and this article reports why this may be. Watson, R et al (2003) if this is the case then why is it when they become professionals then they struggle to still have...
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...demand on healthcare professionals. Changes in healthcare have popularized empirical and evidence-based research in the field of nursing research (Hung, Chang,Chen, 2010) New roles that are emerging are tele-conferencing, providing nursing care over the phone triage style nurses need to be effective leaders and managers to meet the new challenges, advocate for policies that contribute to the health of populations, to sustainable development, and to the security and just treatment of nurses and health care professionals (NSNA,2011). Health care evolving at a fast rate and as provider’s nurses will need to adapt by meeting the needs and demands of individuals. The elderly are increasing and have been at a steady rate, and we need the professionals to be available to take care of the elder generation. The acuity on my floor are seeing more and more elderly’s coming in with stroke and fractures. Hung, H., Wang, H., Chang, Y., & Chen, C. (2010). [Nursing knowledge: the evolution of scientific philosophies and paradigm trends]. Hu Li Za Zhi The Journal Of Nursing, 57(1), 64-70. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. NSNA (2011) Meeting Today’s Global Health Care Challenges retrieved from http://www.nsna.org/Portals/0/Skins/NSNA/pdf/Imprint_Feb04_Hancock.pdf patterns of health events in populations characterizes health outcomes in terms of what, who, where, when, and why: What is the outcome? Who is affected? Where are they? When do events occur? This focus of epidemiology is called descriptive...
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...staff shortage in hospitals is not a new phenomenon and many researchers in health care system contend that such chronic shortage of nurses has a direct and negative impact on patient care (Bae, 2010; Bae, 2012b, Bae, Brewer, & Faan, 2012). For example, in several of her research articles, Bae (2010, 2012a, & 2012b) cited several research articles where researchers have found that the long hours worked by RNs are at the root of many adverse patient outcomes. Anecdotal evidence should suggest that anyone working long hours over an extended period of time will experience fatigue and decreased working performance. However, the health care system, as a whole, has not adopted the recommended standards from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of “no more than 12 hours in a 24-hour period and no more than 60 hours in a 7-day period to avoid error-producing fatigue” (Bae, 2012a, p.60). The logical question is why not? Additionally, it...
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...care. However, even the hospital that no mandatory overtime they will allow nurses to “self- schedule” in a way that substantially increase fatigue risk or may ask nurses to accept “on call” or mandate overtime to cover open shifts so as not to use expensive supplemental staffing (Geiger-Brown & Trinkoff, 2010). Eventhough, some states regulate the use of mandatory overtime. Some nurses is not aware of it or use the voluntary overtime the same as mandatory overtime. The willingness of nurses to work longer hours is one main concern on how hospital nurse administrators and executives will maintain nurses satisfaction retention and recruitment and patient outcomes while preventing the use of mandatory overtime. Some nurses have misconception that if they refuse to work they are scared to loss the job In united states, not every states have restriction to mandatory overtime because it is a complex issue to be solved. Or we can say the failure of government to pass a law that will help healthcare providers to address the issues of mandatory overtime. According to experts at the National Institute on Occupational Safety and Health, there has been little research into the ways in which overtime by health care providers compromises patient and staff safety. Short Staffing is the reason why nurses needs to do overtime is it because of the nursing shortage? or failure of hospital in terms of financial, management and leadership? Resolution to the issue One of the solution to reduced...
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...Cardiac Case Study Pharmacology 291 Larry Goldie, a 63-year-old Caucasian male, visits the healthcare clinic complaining of increasing fatigue and difficulty breathing. Physical assessment findings include a rapid, irregular heart rate of 138 beats per minute, BP of 140/86, and a respiratory rate of 28. His breath sounds are clear with fine crackles in the bases bilaterally. He has positive jugular vein distention (JDV) bilaterally and 1+ pitting edema of his ankles bilaterally. His initial medical diagnosis is heart failure (HF). His past medical history includes: CHD, MI, and HTN. Larry is admitted to the acute care facility. 1. The nurse considers Larry’s symptoms that differentiate right and left-sided failure. (10 points) Left-...
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...hyperparathyroidism and secondary hyperparathyroidism are two disorders that occur when the parathyroid gland dysfunctions (Timby and Smith, 2010). This case study will focus on primary hyperparathyroidism. Timby and Smith (2010) report that primary hyperparathyroidism occurs when excess parathormone is secreted from an enlarged parathyroid gland. Mayo Clinic (2011) notes the excess hormone results in increased phosphorus released in the urine and an excessive loss of calcium from the bones. According to Mayo Clinic (2010), the excess calcium in the blood stream causes hypercalcemia, which can cause a variety of health problems. Timby and Smith (2010) confirm that hypercalcemia can depress the responsiveness of the peripheral nerves, which can result in fatigue and muscle weakness. Fuleihan and Silverberg (2012) report severe bone loss and kidney stones are major clinical manifestations of hyperparathyroidism. Primary hyperparathyroidism is diagnosed by an elevated PTH concentration or by a normal PTH concentration with an elevated serum calcium concentration (Fuleihan and Silverburg, 2012). Timby and Smith (2010) state a 24 hour urine test, skeletal radiographs, MRI and CT can be used to confirm the diagnosis. Fuleihan and Silverburg (2012), contend that primary hyperparathyroidism is caused by a problem with one or more of the four parathyroid glands. The most common cause is a noncancerous growth called adenoma; hyperplasia of two or more parathyroid glands is the second most common cause...
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...Vulnerable Populations Nursing 2312 2/13/12 The School of Health Sciences Division of Nursing RN-BSN Option I will discuss two theories and apply them to different vulnerable populations. Vulnerability is an important factor for nurses to consider when working with clients across the lifespan. Vulnerability is a result of uncontrollable individual factors over which the patient has no influence (Creasia & Feiberg, 2011). Vulnerability is a general concept meaning “susceptibility” and has a specific connotation in health care “at risk for health problems” (Chesnay & Anderson, 2012). The first theorist is Lydia Hall’s care, cure, and core theory. It refers to patients as having three needs of care: the physical, the medical, and the social needs. Nurses can easily provide the care, cure, and core theory to meet the needs of patients with congestive heart failure. Nurses using Lydia Hall’s theory assist with education, medical management, and provide physical, emotional or social support for congestive heart failure patients. The medical management and education offered by nurses increase patients knowledge, and the ability to manage their disease. They can prevent exacerbations, and reduce hospital readmissions (Davood, 2009). The care model dominates when nurses provide hands on care to the heart failure patients produces an environment of comfort and trust. It promotes open communication between nurses and patients. Open communication encourages...
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...primarily on medicine management, managing risk and delegation. Description of events During placement within the Accident & Emergency (A&E) department I saw my paediatric mentor on three occasions, the remainder of the time I worked with adult trained staff. As a consequence of this when a child was admitted, I was given the responsibility of caring for them. For the duration of a particular shift I worked with Sue, an adult nurse. Sue recognised that I was competent in my practice as I had worked with her on previous occasions with adults and consequently praised me. Sue, qualified for over twenty years, indicated that she only knew the basics of children’s nursing and suggested that I probably had more knowledge of children than her. This comment left me unsure of her depth of knowledge of paediatric nursing and somewhat concerned me. During my shift, Jay, a two year old was admitted via ambulance with a croup score of ten, this score according to Bjornson and Johnson (2008) is ascertained by observing for stridor, recession, respiratory rate, level of consciousness and pallor. Jay was assessed by Sue and I and a score of ten was confirmed. As a result of this score we determined the emergency drug calculations using the mnemonic WETFAG system as indicated in Schmidt and...
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...Then E Mail Us At JOHNMATE1122@GMAIL.COM Devry NR305 Week 1 Discussion DQ 1 & DQ 2 Latest 2015 November DQ 1 As the school nurse working in a college health clinic, you see many opportunities to promote health. Maria is a 40-year-old Hispanic woman who is in her second year of nursing school. She complains of a 14-pound weight gain since starting school and is afraid of what this will do to both her appearance and health if the trend continues. After doing her history, you learn that she is an excellent cook and she and her family love to eat foods that reflect their Hispanic heritage. She is married with two school-age children. She is in class a total of 15 hours per week, plus 12 hours of labs and clinical. She maintains the household essentially by herself and does all the shopping, cooking, cleaning, and chauffeuring of the children. She states that she is lucky to get six hours of sleep per night, but that is okay with her. She lives one hour from campus and commutes each day. UsingHealthy People 2020and your text as a guide: 1. What additional information would you like to gather from Maria? 2. What are Maria’s real and potential health risks? 3. Why is Maria’s culture important when obtaining the health assessment? 4. Pick one of Maria’s health risks. Would you classify Maria’s problem as first-level priority, second-level priority, third-level priority, or a collaborative problem? What would be one reasonable short-term goal for this risk? DQ 2 Understanding...
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...Combating Compassion Fatigue Compassion is defined as a feeling of wanting to help someone who is sick, hungry, or in trouble, according to Merriam-Webster dictionary. Compassion is a fundamental characteristic needed by health care providers. Compassion is what makes patient care enjoyable; without compassion, patients would begin to feel neglected. There are many different types of health care providers, but the ones who have the most contact with the patients are the nurses. Nurses provide such selfless and devoted service, compassion, and dedication to their patients and to their job. Many nurses work long twelve hour shifts, but not all. This can be very tiring though, and it may not leave a lot of room for a personal life. Sometimes nurses are so consumed with work, that they often neglect their personal needs. In doing that, it makes them susceptible to a disorder called compassion fatigue or burnout. Compassion fatigue is exactly what it sounds like; it is an indifference to charitable appeals on behalf of those who are suffering (Google dictionary). It is characterized by a gradual lessoning of compassion over time. Often times, compassion fatigue occurs due to the demands of the stressful situations health care providers are forced to encounter everyday. There are five major concepts of compassion fatigue. There is the cognitive, emotional, behavioral, spiritual, and the somatic. Each of these concepts has warning signs to be aware of. The first concept is cognitive...
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...Family Health Assessment Karen Youngblood Grand Canyon University February 02, 2012 Family Health Assessment Gordon’s functional health patterns is a method developed by Marjorie Gordon in 1987 proposed functional health patterns as a guide establishing a comprehensive nursing data base(Kriegler & Harton, 1992). Gordon’s11 functional health patterns are; health perception/ health management, nutrition, pattern of elimination, activity/ excerise, cognitive, sleep/ rest, self perception/ self concept, roles/ relationships, sexuality, coping/ stress and values/ beliefs. By using these categories it’s possible to create a systematic and standardized approach to data collection and enables the nurse to determine the following aspects of health and human function (Kriegler & Harton, 1992). I have completed a family assessment on the Semanovich family using the 11function health patterns created by Gordon. I assessed the family by asking question from each category of the functional health patterns and will briefly discussion my findings in this paper. Health perception and values are focus on the individual’s perception of their health and their beliefs and values (Edelman, 2010). The health perception of the Semanovich family seen to be center around maintaining their current health by annual checkups, immunization for the kids and eating healthy. Eating healthy is a main focus in this family because Mrs. Semanovich is a diabetic. Mrs. Semanovich developed gestation...
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...Research Critique, Part 1: Hospital Nurse Staffing and Patient Mortality, Nurse Burnout, and Job Dissatisfaction Grand Canyon University: NRS-433V 06-04-2016 PROBLEM STATEMENT: The broad research problem leading to this study is the belief that nursing shortage in facilities leads to patient safety issues. The review of available literature on this topic shows strong evidence that lower nurse staffing levels in hospitals are associated with worse patient outcomes. Some of these outcomes include very high patient to nurse ratio, fatigue for nurses leading to costly medical mistakes, social environment, nursing staff attrition from the most affected facilities. The study specifically attempts to find a way to understand how nurse staffing levels has an impact on patient outcomes and nurse retention in hospital practice. Purpose d Research Questions: With one of the most critical steps being the determination of the problem that will be studied in the research process. (Nieswiadomy, 2008, p.45). Linda H. Aiken et al states the research question as 1. Determine the association between patient-to-nurse ratio and patient mortality 2. Determine the association between patient-to-nurse ratio and failure-to-rescue (deaths following complications) among surgical patients 3. Determine the association between patient-to-nurse ratio and nurse retention/attrition. 4. Determine the association between patient-to-nurse and the facts that contributed to the stress...
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...This assignment will take the form of a case study on a current patient with heart failure being nursed in a community setting. Due to confidentiality and patient privacy, the patient discussed will be referred to as John¹. John is an 82 year old gentleman who lives alone in sheltered accommodation. John’s son and daughter live close and take it in turns to visit daily. John is an ex-smoker who gave up 20 years ago, has long standing hypertension and is overweight having a BMI of 30 kg/m. John was diagnosed with heart failure a year ago after being hospitalised three times in the space of four months. Stewart (2004) feels that a diagnoses of heart failure is problematic in older patients as their symptoms can often mimic other diseases. According to the National Institute for Clinical Excellence Guidelines (NICE) 2003, hospitalisation accounts² for 70% of the £716 million pounds spent on heart failure annually. In this assignment the physiology of the heart will be discussed and how heart failure affects its performance. John’s symptoms, medication and how his condition was diagnosed will be discussed³. John’s future care and how it will be managed along with who will be involved in his care4. NICE (2003) defines heart failure as a “complex syndrome” that results from any structural or functional cardiac disorder that impairs the ability of the heart to function as a pump to support a “physiological circulation”. Tendera5 (2005) states that heart failure...
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