Grand Theory Essay

Henderson did not view her work as a theory of nursing, nor did she expect anyone to agree with it. Instead she urged every nurse to develop her own definition and concept of nursing. However, it is possible to identify the metaparadigm concepts of nursing within her work.

The concept of this EBP change project is compassion fatigue as it relates to nurses working in an emergency department (ED) dealing with secondary trauma causing symptoms of compassion fatigue (CF). Compassion is defined as the empathetic awareness of another’s distress, united with a desire to alleviate it (Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary, n.d.). Fatigue is the physical or mental depletion that can be the result of strain, overwork, or disease (The Free Medical Dictionary,

Compassion fatigue is widely known in the health care profession. Nurses working overtime and long working days to provide care for the patient and the patient’s families are a continuous stress on a nurse’s emotional and physical well-being especially if the nurse is providing the patient with end of life care as this contributes to both physical and mental work. Vital

Patient care may be at risk if a nurse is experiencing compassion fatigue. Nurses can start to exhibit distancing or desensitizing behaviors in order to cope with their stressors; thus leading to a decreased satisfaction in patient care and an ineffective therapeutic relationship. The failure of the nurse to identify their stress, can

Compassion fatigue, sometimes called secondary trauma, is when an individual is around a person’s/people’s trauma so that that they themselves begins to be impacted emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and/or relationally. A person can also experience a form of compassion fatigue, known as vicarious trauma, when a traumatic event doesn’t happen to them directly but they do witness the event. Individuals like caregivers, doctors, counselors, social workers, chaplains, etc. are very susceptible to compassion fatigue because in their line of work caring for individuals who have been traumatized is come place.

Compassion fatigue occurs when the healthcare team or even family members are providing care for chronically ill patients over a prolonged period of time. It is stressful and also mentally and emotionally exhausting for those who are involved (Duygu & Figen, 2015). Compassion fatigue can be experienced when caring for one patient or it can be stress and exhaustion that has accumulated over time.

Compassion fatigue seems to be an epidemic in the health care profession. Since nursing, more specifically, can be high paced and full of stress, there is high risk for compassion fatigue. Kelly, Runge, & Spencer (2015) argue that compassion fatigue is “the combination of burnout and secondary traumatic stress” (p.523). Hunsaker, Chen, Maughan, & Heaston (2014) describe compassion fatigue as “feelings of hopelessness and apathy” (p. 187), which interferes with the ability to perform

As caregivers, nurses in acute care settings are at higher risk for burnout and stress associated with their role than those in other occupations. Compassion fatigue (CF) and compassion satisfaction (CS) were examined in this study. The participants of this study were acute care nurses across multiple specialties in a hospital-based setting. (Kelly, Runge, & Spencer, 2015)

Nurses often are labeled as caregivers. They start their careers with an overflowing jug of compassion; however, each time they put their own emotions or problems aside to comfort others, they pour a glass out of the jug and give it away. Often, nurses’ jugs run on empty. Metaphorically speaking, this scenario represents compassion fatigue. Compassion fatigue plagues all specialties in primary and acute care, and it can lead to serious ailments such as depression, anxiety, burn out, and even self medicating with drugs (Shepard, 2013).

Nurses have been taken care of wounded soldiers, victims of disasters and patients in hospitals, clinic and schools since the late 1800’s. Recently there has been concerns raised about nurses’ being burn-out emotionally and physically. According to Varcarolis (2013), nurses should be alert to compassion fatigue, which is the emotional effect that nurses may experience by being indirectly traumatized when trying to help people/clients experiencing traumatic stress. This is crucial that nurses and other caregivers take good care of themselves and develop an effective coping skills to deal with all the stress and other symptoms that accompany the job. Charity begins at home, therefore to ensure quality care for all our patients, nurses need

The literature suggests there is a definitive issue of compassion fatigue, the core principles are solid, and the review of what is in combination the contributing factors are what need to be further reviewed. The significance to the circumstances that contribute to the condition of compassion fatigue is identified as the settings in which some caregivers practice. Such as the pediatric intensive care unit. The issues have demonstrated increased risk of empathy inducing burn out than others? Working in the emergency department may be more of a risk factor opposed to the ICU. However there is no definitive measure in my findings that can substantiate the correlation to the traumatic experience be it secondary or experienced first hand

Surucu, H. A., Kizilci, S., & Ergor, G. (2017). The Impacts of Diabetes Education on Self Care Agency, Self-Care Activities and HbA1c Levels of Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized Controlled Study. International Journal Of Caring Sciences, 10(1),

For this study, there was a total of 69 infants, ages 13 to 18 months. 31 were female and 38 were male. The infants’ caregivers attained varying levels of education. 8% of caregivers had a high school degree, 37% had a college degree, and 47% had a graduate degree. 67% of participants

Specific Purpose Statement: ​To invite my audience to consider the pros and cons of donating

Nursing compassion fatigue among pediatric nurses has become a concerning issue in health care delivery that must be addressed. When nurses experience this condition, they place their patients at an immediate risk. For example, medical errors, poor patient outcomes, and low patient satisfaction may occur (Kutney-Lee et al., 2009; Vahey, Aiken, Sloane, Clarke, & Vargas, 2004). Medical errors are unacceptable, especially during life or death scenarios with patients. One mistake can cause several other health issues or even death. Anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PSTD) are linked to burnout (Czaja, Moss, & Mealer, 2012; Figley, 1995). This detrimentally affects nurses’ abilities to provide optimal care for their young