Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to inform the reader of the signs, symptoms and consequences of Compassion Fatigue (CF) and the various ways it is displayed. Although they are not readily seen by the untrained eye, the informed trained healthcare provider could observe insidious gradual lessening of compassion over time. We present applicable evidence based literature, examine protective factors and interventions, and make recommendations concerning CF. The case study that is presented in a soliloquy is an example of a nurse’s story (thinking, feelings and behaviors) devoid of CF while caring for a sexually assaulted patient in an ED and the patient’s response to the compassionate care she received. In conclusion, it is important to inform healthcare providers of the ubiquity of stress as well as selfawareness while the provision of social support to staff a top priority for leadership in organizations. Ways this can be done is through open dialogue about coping during orientation sessions and meetings, making resources available to staff, offering crisis debriefings, and emphasizing the positives of patient care, the inexpensiveness of compassionate care and the expensiveness of CF. Staff along with administrators in a healthcare setting should celebrate successful encounters and interventions.