Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Mar/Apr;25(2):53-55.
doi: 10.1097/NCM.0000000000000418.

Compassion Fatigue

Suzanne K Powell

Compassion Fatigue

Suzanne K Powell. Prof Case Manag. 2020 Mar/Apr.

Abstract

Compassion fatigue is an occupational hazard in the health care industry. Not the same as burnout syndrome (BOS), compassion fatigue affects patient care and personal lives. This article discusses the difference between compassion fatigue and BOS, the key symptoms, how to self-test for compassion fatigue, and steps to take to minimize this epidemic.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Figley C. R. (Ed.). (1995). Compassion fatigue: Coping with secondary traumatic stress disorder in those who treat the traumatized. New York, NY: Brunner/Mazel.
    1. Jablow M. (2017). Compassion fatigue: The toll of being a care provider. Retrieved May 17, 2019, from https://news.aamc.org/medical-education/article/compassion-fatigue-toll-...
    1. ProQOL.org. (n.d.). ProQOL Test. Retrieved May 17, 2019, from https://proqol.org/ProQol_Test.html
    1. Stamm B. H. (Ed.). (1999). Secondary traumatic stress: Self-care issues for clinicians, researchers, and educators (2nd ed.). Lutherville, MD: Sidran Press.
    1. The American Institute of Stress. (2019). Compassion fatigue. Definitions. Retrieved May 17, 2019, from https://www.stress.org/military/for-practitionersleaders/compassion-fatigue

LinkOut - more resources