Compassion Fatigue: Nursing Burnout

Compassion Fatigue Student’s Name University Affiliation Compassion fatigue Nursing burnout is a health condition that is very common among nursing staff providing care to patients with chronic illnesses or in critical condition (Ucebedo-Urdiales et al., 2016). Nurses aged 50+ are the most vulnerable to the burn out due to physical and emotional fatigue brought about by emotional attachment and long working hours. It is as a result of healthcare providers going beyond their primary duty of providing care and gets emotionally attached to the patient condition (Cocker et al., 2016 & Aycock, 2009). Patients with chronic illness often spend between 30 to 60 days in hospital which is time long enough to create bond between nurses and their patients (Zajac, 2016). The duration and frequency creates bonds and closeness between caregivers and their patients. Fondness and closeness between caregivers and patients with chronic illness is the avenue for sympathy. In addition to emotional attachment, long working hours also creates physical fatigue which translates into compassion fatigue (Aycock, 2009). Nurses become susceptible to compassion fatigue when they spend more time with their patients and fail to separate work and personal life (Aycock, 2009). The hospital should therefore put in place a work guideline or circular that sets a specific duration of time such as maximum days weeks and months a nurse spend attending to patients. This will prevent closeness and fondness between patients and nurses created by long working hours. The...