title: The phenomenon of compassion fatigue in perioperative nursing.
abstract: Compassion fatigue is described as the emotional burden that health care providers may experience as a result of overexposure to a traumatic event that has befallen victims. Perioperative nurses are experiencing increased exposure to major traumatic events within their practice, especially those nurses who work in level 1 trauma centers. This article helps nurses identify risks for compassion fatigue and symptoms associated with this form of stress.
authors.affiliation: AORN Opportunity Interim Management Services, Odessa, TX, USA.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schwam
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000523:psychology; D004645:Empathy; D005221:Fatigue / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology*; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000523:psychology*; D013527:Perioperative Nursing; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D014193:Trauma Centers; D014481:United States; D000078329:Workforce; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000523:psychology