Compassion Fatigue among Surgical Healthcare Workers: A Cross-Sectional Study from Serbia

Background

Emotional and physical exhaustion, including compassion fatigue, represent a significant problem among healthcare workers in surgical disciplines due to high levels of stress and professional demands. The aim of this study was to determine the level of empathy fatigue among employees in surgical clinics and to examine its association with sociodemographic and professional characteristics.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted as a pilot study among 108 physicians at five surgical clinics of the University Clinical Center of Serbia in the period from November 2025 to March 2026. Data were collected using a specially designed questionnaire that included demographic, socioeconomic, and aspects of professional quality of life (ProQOL), encompassing three main subscales: compassion satisfaction (CS), burnout (BO), and secondary traumatic stress (STS), with voluntary and informed participation of respondents.

Results

Participants were mostly male (73.1%), with a mean age of 41.8±11.32 years. ProQOL scores indicated moderate CSS (43.5%), BO (48.5%), and STS (56.5%) scores. Lower CS scores were significantly associated with physicians who were not additionally engaged at a higher education institution (OR = 3.26, 95%CI 1.20–8.85), as well as those with non–fixed-term employment (OR = 3.65, 95%CI 1.11–11.97). Higher BO scores were predicted by lower satisfaction with monthly income (OR = 0.51, 95%CI 0.30–0.87), lack of additional engagement in higher education (OR = 3.94, 95%CI 1.24–12.52), fewer years of work experience (OR = 0.92, 95%CI 0.87–0.98), and younger age (OR = 0.93, 95%CI 0.88–0.98). Elevated STS scores were strongly associated with non–fixed-term employment (OR = 9.26, 95%CI = 2.64–32.41).

Conclusions

Moderate levels of compassion fatigue are present among surgical healthcare workers, with younger age, limited experience, and employment instability highlighting the need for targeted support and interventions to protect mental well-being.

Key messages

• Moderate levels of compassion fatigue are present among surgical physicians, with burnout and secondary traumatic stress affecting a substantial proportion of respondents.

• Younger age, fewer years of experience, and employment instability are key factors linked to higher risk, emphasizing the need for targeted organizational support.