Prevention and Management of Compassion Fatigue in Clinical Nurses: An Evidence Summary
Yuying Lin, Jinyan Wu, Yuan Chen, Shunfang Zhu, Qiuhua DengAim
To synthesize and translate available evidence on preventing and managing compassion fatigue (CF) in clinical nurses.
Background
CF threatens nurse well‐being, retention, care quality, and workforce sustainability, yet prevention and management guidance remains fragmented across evidence types.
Evaluation
Using a hierarchical evidence model, databases, evidence resources, and organizational sources were searched from inception to 30 June 2025. Eligible guidelines, consensus statements, systematic reviews or meta‐analyses, and an educational toolkit were independently screened, appraised, extracted, and integrated using predefined weighting criteria.
Key Issues
Of 1481 records, 15 documents were included: three clinical practice guidelines, one educational toolkit, one expert consensus statement, and 10 systematic reviews or meta‐analyses. Sixteen evidence statements were synthesized across six domains. Methodological confidence in the included reviews was moderate for seven and low for three.
Conclusion)
CF management requires coordinated individual, team, and organizational strategies, with recommendations adapted to local clinical and cultural contexts.
Implications for Nursing Management
Nurse managers should embed routine risk assessment, targeted education and support, team‐based interventions, workload management, and accessible psychological support within nursing governance.