Interventions to reduce compassion fatigue in nursing: a systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled studies

Abstract

Background: Compassion fatigue is the emotional response generated by continuous exposure to human suffering and is especially common among nursing professionals. This phenomenon can lead to decreased empathy and increased emotional exhaustion while affecting the quality of care. Aim: To synthesize information from primary studies that have used and evaluated interventions aimed at managing compassion fatigue in nursing professionals. Design: A systematic review with meta-analysis of studies with randomized and nonrandomized control groups. Methods: Medline, CINAHL, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were searched for studies published between 2013 and 2023. The search was conducted in January 2024 to identify control group studies that provided quantitative pre-post data on both groups of compassion fatigue assessed with the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQol). Quality was assessed using the RoB2 and ROBINS-I scales. The protocol was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (CRD42024537935). Results: The search strategy yielded a total of 1006 records, of which 11 studies were selected; these provided a total of 763 participants. Most of the interventions consisted of providing knowledge and skills to increase resilience, emotional well-being, and stress coping. The interventions had an average duration of 6 weeks distributed in 9 sessions with an average of 90 minutes. After the intervention, a statistically significant increase in satisfaction was obtained and a statistically significant reduction in fatigue and burnout. Conclusion and Implications for Nursing and/or Health Policy: Interventions aimed at reducing compassion fatigue are effective among nursing professionals. In the future, further high-quality research with prospective follow-up designs is required.