Nurse Burnout in the Emergency Department

Background: Burnout includes fatigue, apathy and/or frustration that interfere with job performance and home life (Walsh, 2013). Compassion fatigue is a combination of physical, emotional and spiritual exhaustion combined with the care of patients with significant pain and physical distress (Walsh, 2013). A study by Journal of Nursing found that 82% of ED nurses had moderate to high levels of burnout and 86% had moderate to high levels of compassion fatigue (Hooper, Craig, Janvrin, Wetsel, \u26 Reimels, 2010). This information prompted a study to be conducted on local ED nurses. Purpose: The question addressed was: What is the amount of burnout or compassion fatigue in Emergency Department (ED) nurses of a local hospital? Methods: The Professional Quality of Life Survey (ProQOL) was used to measure burnout and compassion satisfaction (which in turn determines compassion fatigue) in 15 ED nurses. Results: Our results found that the ED nurses had decreased compassion satisfaction. There is no evidence that these nurses have high amounts of burnout. Discussion/Recommendations: This study found there was a decrease in compassion satisfaction, but not a high incidence of nurse burnout. While burnout is not seen in the study we conducted, a decrease in compassion satisfaction could lead to burnout over time. Our recommendation is to ask the ED nurses ways to decrease burnout and compassion fatigue