The effect of compassion fatigue on care behaviors in nurses

Introduction: Nursing is a care-oriented discipline. The concept of compassion is one of the most important points in this discipline. Objective: This study was planned to evaluate the effect of compassion fatigue on care behaviors in nurses. Methods: The sample of the cross-sectional and descriptive study consisted of 252 nurses. The data were collected face-to-face with Sociodemographic data form, Care Behaviors Scale (Care Behaviors Scale-24) and Compassion Fatigue Scale Short Form (Compassion Fatigue-Short Scale). In the analysis of the data, number, percentage, mean, t-test, correlation and Kruskal-Wallis H tests were used. Results: The mean of Care Behaviors Scale-24 total score was 5.11±0.86 and the mean of (Compassion Fatigue-Short Scale) was 47.47±19.95. A weak negative significance was found between age, working time in the clinic where it is currently located and total working time values in the nursing profession and Care Behaviors Scale-24 total score averages and all sub-dimension score averages (p<0.05). In the clinic where it was located, a weak positive significance was found between the duration of study and the occupational burnout sub-dimension and the mean of (Compassion Fatigue-Short Scale) total scores (p<0.05). A weak negative correlation was found between the Care Behaviors Scale-24 and (Compassion Fatigue-Short Scale) scales between the mean of all sub-dimensions and total scores (p<0.05). Conclusion: In our study, it was seen that the nurses had moderate care behaviors and moderate compassion fatigue according to their Care Behaviors Scale-24 and Compassion Fatigue-Short Scale total scores. In line with these results; It is recommended that the factors related to the hospital and the working conditions of the nurses that affect the care behaviors and compassion fatigue in nurses should be resolved with legal regulations.