The Costs of Caring: Quantifying Compassion Fatigue and Compassion Satisfaction in Burn Therapists.
J Burn Care Res
; 45(4): 836-842, 2024 Aug 06.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38609182
ABSTRACT
Recovery from a severe burn injury requires early and aggressive therapy, which is often painful and distressing to the patient. Burn therapists who guide these interventions may be prone to experiencing secondary trauma and compassion fatigue through repeated exposure to difficult situations. At the same time, therapists may gain a sense of purpose and altruism from their work, fostering compassion satisfaction. Despite being well documented in other health professions, compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction have not been sufficiently explored among burn therapists. This study aimed to quantify and characterize burn therapists' compassion fatigue and satisfaction using the Professional Quality of Life scale and to answer the question of what job-related factors may impact these outcomes. A total of 143 burn therapists participated in this study. Results revealed compassion fatigue subsale scores of burnout and secondary traumatic stress in the low or moderate range and compassion satisfaction scores in the moderate or high ranges for all participants. This study presents new knowledge for the field of burn care in its quantification of professional quality of life in burn therapists. While burn therapists experienced moderate-to-high levels of compassion satisfaction in their work, burnout and stress also approached moderate levels. Years of practice was a significant predictor of compassion. Although the reasons for this are not clear, it may be related to increased competence or confidence in practice and may suggest a need for different support strategies for practitioners at each stage of their burn therapy career.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Calidad de Vida
/
Agotamiento Profesional
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Quemaduras
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Desgaste por Empatía
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Satisfacción en el Trabajo
Límite:
Adult
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Female
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Humans
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Male
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Middle aged
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Burn Care Res
Asunto de la revista:
TRAUMATOLOGIA
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Estados Unidos
Pais de publicación:
ENGLAND
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ESCOCIA
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GB
/
GREAT BRITAIN
/
INGLATERRA
/
REINO UNIDO
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SCOTLAND
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UK
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UNITED KINGDOM