Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
The Fourth International Clinical Nursing Research Congress, Online Congress , İstanbul, Türkiye, 8 - 11 Kasım 2022, ss.76
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a major impact on mental health globally, as well
as being a public health problem that threatens the safety of healthcare workers. In this process, nurses
caring for patients faced the risk of compassion fatigue and secondary traumatic stress (Ruiz‐Fernández
et al. 2020; Wang et al. 2021).
Objective: This study was aimed to evaluate in multiple dimensions; the compassion fatigue and
secondary stress levels of nurses working in intensive care units during the pandemic process.
Methods: Intensive care nurses in a private hospital chain which has 17 hospitals in Turkey constituted
the population of the study, which was planned in a mixed methodology (N=600). Quantitative data
were collected electronically with Personal Information Form, Compassion Fatigue-Short Scale
(MYKÖ) and Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale (ITSS). Quantitative data was carried out with nurses
working in intensive care units and caring for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 (N=331). Qualitative
data were collected with participants who agreed to participate in the focus group interview (N=8). R
version 2.15.3 program was used for statistical analysis. Qualitative data analysis was performed based
on the method suggested by Lundman and Graneheim (2004). Ethics committee and institutional
permissions were obtained for the study. Participants were informed about the study and their consent
was obtained.
Results and Conclusion: 72.5% (n=240) of the participants were female, the mean age was 25.37±4.79,
28.4% (n=94) worked in the intensive care unit for 5 years or more, and 93.4% (n=309) were in the
intensive care unit. It was determined that they worked happily and 64.7% (n=214) received training on
coping with stress skills. It was determined that the mean scores of the participants' MQQ and ITSQ
were 59.24±24.42 and 41.62±13.51, respectively. The main themes in the qualitative dimension of the
research; being a nurse in the intensive care unit (sub-theme=love), care in the pandemic (sub-theme=
patient morale and motivation, communication with the patient, self-care practices), compassion (subtheme= caring for the sufferer, post-death care), secondary trauma (sub-theme=difficulties in care,
effects on social life) and coping strategies (sub-theme=growth in the middle of the crisis). As a result,
it was determined that nurses experienced moderate compassion fatigue and secondary traumatic stress.
Intensive care nurses need to be supported professionally in order to maintain their psychosocial wellbeing. For this reason, it is recommended to plan supportive interventions to reduce the compassion
fatigue and secondary traumatic stress levels of intensive care nurses.
Keywords: Covid 19 Pandemic, Compassion Fatigue, Secondary Traumatic Stress, Intensive Care
Nursing