Compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress among nurses after the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Background: Nurses frequently experience compassion fatigue and burnout, which impact their personal lives and patient care. The COVID-19 pandemic additionally caused stress, uncertainty, and fear of death among healthcare professionals. Aim: To assess professional quality of life (ProQoL) among nurses after the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Material and Methods: A web-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 203 nurses using a purposive sampling technique in the month of September to December 2021. Data were collected using a self-administered ProQoL scale version 5. Statistical Analysis: Descriptive and inferential statistics were used. Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, Mann–Whitney U, and Kruskal–Wallis H test were used. Bivariate correlations were used to correlate the main variables. Multiple linear regression analysis was also performed. Results: The majority of the nurses reported a moderate level of compassion satisfaction (CS) (62.6%), burnout (BO) (66.0%), and secondary traumatic stress (STS) (63.1%). Residence and education emerged as a factor whether the nurses experienced BO or STS, respectively. Additionally, CS negatively correlated with BO (r = -0.732: P < 0.001) and STS (r = -0.141: p-0.04). Conclusions: The majority of the nurses experienced moderate levels of CS, BO, and STS after the second wave of the COVID-19 crisis and nurse patient–ratio emerged as a significant factor to predict CS, BO, or STS. Hence, effective measures need to be implemented by hospital administration to enhance the nurses' satisfaction and reduce fatigue and burnout.

Keywords

• burnout
• compassion satisfaction
• covid-19 pandemic
• nurses
• professional quality of life
• second wave
• secondary traumatic stress