Compassion fatigue: A meta-narrative review of the healthcare literature.
Abstract
Background Compassion fatigue describes a work-related stress response in healthcare providers that is considered a 'cost of caring' and a key contributor to the loss of compassion in healthcare. Objective The purpose of this review was to critically examine the construct of compassion fatigue and to determine if it is an accurate descriptor of work-related stress in healthcare providers and a valid target variable for intervention. Design Meta-narrative review. Data sources PubMed, Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Web of Science databases, Google Scholar, the grey literature, and manual searches of bibliographies. Review methods Seminal articles and theoretical and empirical studies on compassion fatigue in the healthcare literature were identified and appraised for their validity and relevance to our review. Sources were mapped according to the following criteria: 1) definitions; 2) conceptual analyses; 3) signs and symptoms; 4) measures; 5) prevalence and associated risk factors; and 6) interventions. A narrative account of included studies that critically examines the concept of compassion fatigue in healthcare was employed, and recommendations for practice, policy and further research were made. Results 90 studies from the nursing literature and healthcare in general were included in the review. Findings emphasized that the physical, emotional, social and spiritual health of healthcare providers is impaired by cumulative stress related to their work, which can impact the d…
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Psychological counseling provides one-on-one support, assisting nurses in identifying and resolving emotional stress in their work, thereby enhancing psychological resilience and emotional regulation.
“Psychological counseling provides one-on-one support, assisting nurses in identifying and resolving emotional stress in their work, thereby enhancing psychological resilience and emotional regulation (Sinclair et al. 2017).”
From Interventions for Compassion Fatigue, Burnout, and Secondary Traumatic Stress in Nurses: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis. (2025) · cites this paper as Sinclair et al. 2017
Compassion fatigue causes nurses to feel exhausted, helpless, and emotionally numb, and decreases work efficiency, increases medical errors, and contributes to professional burnout.
“This condition not only causes nurses to feel exhausted, helpless, and emotionally numb but also decreases work efficiency, increases medical errors, and contributes to professional BO (Sinclair et al. 2017).”
From Interventions for Compassion Fatigue, Burnout, and Secondary Traumatic Stress in Nurses: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis. (2025) · cites this paper as Sinclair et al. 2017
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Self-citationCompassion in Health Care: An Empirical Model
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“…that does not measure any elements of compassion itself (Ledoux, 2015; Bride et al., 2007), which is an inherently relational care construct, anchored in action aimed at relieving suffering (Bramley and Matiti, 2014; Van der Cingel, 2011; Sinclair et al., 2016a,b; Fernando and Consedine, 2014a,b).”
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“A number of authors recommend the integration of compassion fatigue educational interventions within nursing school curricula and continuing medical education programs to increase awareness and provide tools to address the physical, behavioural and psychological demands associated with caregiving (Meadors and Lamson,…”
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“Compassion fatigue was first used in healthcare in 1992 by a nurse educator, Joinson, to explain the ‘loss of the ability to nurture’ in emergency nurses who experienced tiredness, depression, anger, and detachment due to intense workloads and complex patient needs [94, 166].”
- Authors
- Sinclair, S., Raffin-Bouchal, S., Venturato, L., Mijovic-Kondejewski, J., & Smith-MacDonald, L.
- Affiliations
- University of Calgary (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Sinclair, Shane
- Venue
- International Journal of Nursing Studies
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2017-04
- Volume
- 69
- Pages
- 9-24
- ISSN
- 0020-7489 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2578834272
- Cited by
- 542
- References
- 13
- Citations by year
- 2026: 64 · 2025: 89 · 2024: 74 · 2023: 48 · 2022: 64 · 2021: 66 · 2020: 59 · 2019: 41 · 2018: 24 · 2017: 12 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 6.55
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- International Journal of Nursing Studies (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Occupational Therapy › Occupational Health and Burnout
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Stress and Burnout Research
- Keywords
- compassion fatigue, healthcare workers, occupational stress, compassionate care, ProQOL, risk factors, intervention
- MeSH terms
- Compassion Fatigue, Burnout, Professional, Health Personnel, Humans
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