Organ transplant nurses' experiences with compassion fatigue: A phenomenological study

Purpose: The purpose of the research; to examine the compassion fatigue experiences of organ transplant nurses with a qualitative research approach. Method: In this research, phenomenological design, one of the qualitative research methods, was used. The sample of the study consisted of 13 nurses working in Organ Transplant Clinics. Criterion sampling method, one of the purposeful sampling types, was used in the selection of participants. Data were collected through in-depth interviews using the "Individual Identification Form" and "Semi-Structured Interview Form". Content analysis method was used to analyze the data. Data obtained from the research. It was analyzed with support from Nvivo 12 qualitative data analysis software program. Findings: In the research, 248 codes, 11 sub-themes and three main themes were obtained. The four sub-themes of the main theme of "Causes of Compassion Fatigue" were determined as " the heavy burden of responsibility for the transplanted organ, shifting from empathy to sympathy, continuing with stress, and the heavy burden of working conditions". The main theme of "Symptoms of Compassion Fatigue" has four sub-themes: "feeling that nothing can be done, the thought of feeling inadequate, replacing oneself with helplessness, the price of trying to do more". The main theme of "Managing Compassion Fatigue" has three sub-themes: " improve team spirit, designing individualized care, and adopting organ transplant nursing". Result: As a result of this research, it was revealed that all participants experienced compassion fatigue. Factors contributing to compassion fatigue: excessive care burden for organ transplant patients, lack of nurses, having children, rejection situation; It has been determined that the factors for prevention are increasing the number of cadaveric transplants, increasing awareness about the development of compassion fatigue, and developing personal care strategies. Key Words: Nursing, transplant nursing, compassion, compassion fatigue, qualitative research.