Compassion fatigue afflicts nurses working in all caring environments and has become a serious issue in health care institutions nationwide. This is the only book to specifically address this challenge and the related syndrome of burnout in nursing. It presents a unique healing model designed to identify, treat and, where possible, avert compassion fatigue with holistic strategies and action plans that help cultivate a healthier, more satisfying work environment.The volume addresses risk factors for and manifestations of compassion fatigue, burnout, and other related experiences such as PTS, death overload, collective trauma, and moral distress, and presents strategies to mediate and resolve these issues. The author emphasizes ways in which dissatisfaction influences the quality of patient care and calls for nurses to reinvent their work environments to favor compassion contentment.
Contents:
Introduction : the good, the bad, and the ugly -- Transforming both health and care -- Compassion and contentment : being heartful -- Values and excellences in nursing -- The art of reaffirming purpose -- A heavy heart hurts -- I know what I ought to do! -- Burnt out and seemingly heartless -- Being prepared to care for the dying -- Shared horrors and aching, breaking hearts -- Cultivating collective mindful awareness -- Imagine it and actualize it