Journal of pediatric health care : official publication of National Association of Pediatric Nurse Associates & Practitioners
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J Pediatr Health Care · Jan 2008
Compassion fatigue and secondary traumatization: provider self care on intensive care units for children.
Unexpressed grief in health care providers who care for chronically ill children may lead to the development of some symptoms of compassion fatigue. The purpose of this study was to describe the scope of compassion fatigue in health care providers working on critical care units with children. A secondary aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of providing educational seminars on compassion fatigue to health care providers working on critical care units with children. ⋯ Providers working on the intensive care units for children needed to be aware of compassion fatigue symptoms and techniques to manage or minimize their symptoms. Taking care of the providers on a personal and professional level had a significant impact on the amount of stress and compassion fatigue exhibited by health care professionals.