Abstract
To interpret the body of qualitative work focusing on compassion
fatigue to distil a common understanding that could then be applied to nursing
care.
Background: Complex demands place extraordinary stress on nurses struggling to
work in overburdened healthcare systems. The result can be the inability to care well
for others, leading to compassion fatigue, burnout and increased numbers leaving the
profession. Metasynthesis offers a means of more fully illuminating compassion fatigue
and further understanding of practices which might reduce its negative consequences...