Compassion fatigue in pediatric palliative care providers.
The experience of compassion fatigue is an expected and common response to the professional task of routinely caring for children at the end of life. Symptoms of compassion fatigue often mimic trauma reactions. Implementing strategies that span personal, professional, and organizational domains can help protect health care providers from the damaging effects of compassion fatigue. Providing pediatric palliative care within a constructive and supportive team can help caregivers deal with the relational challenges of compassion fatigue. Finally, any consideration of the toll of providing pediatric palliative care must be balanced with a consideration of the parallel experience of compassion satisfaction.
Rourke
Mary T
MT
The Behavioral Health Integrated Program, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 9th Floor Main Hospital, Room 9S35, 34th and Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. rourke@email.chop.edu
D002648:Child; D004645:Empathy; D005221:Fatigue / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*