Obligated to Care: A Personal Narrative of Compassion Fatigue in an Oncology Nurse

Abstract

Evidence does not suggest but validates the very fact that an unsupportive patient care environment contributes to the development of what is called compassion fatigue in oncology nurses. This retrospective is an attempt to describe through personal story how compassion fatigue developed over time. The purpose of this article is to illustrate through personal narrative the manifestation of compassion fatigue in an individual oncology nurse and to hopefully allow readers to become aware of any presence of compassion fatigue in their personal lives and/or professional nursing practice. The following questions emerged from the writing of this article and may be useful for future research: (1) What is the best definition of compassion fatigue to be used when specifically applied to oncology nurses as guidance for future research? (2) What specific interventions might be explored as a means to prevent compassion fatigue in oncology nurses using prospective trials? (3) What are the best institutional practices used currently in oncology units? What prospective intervention trials aimed at prevention and amelioration of compassion fatigue in oncology nurses might be developed? (4) What administrative training to observe and manage compassion fatigue might be developed and tested? (5) What is the possible relationship between compassion fatigue, if any, that might lead to deleterious health outcomes in oncology nurses?