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Commentary: Compassion Fatigue and COVID-19-The Chronic Condition of the Helper

It’s April 12,2020. You are not reading an Orwellian novel. The first case of COVID-19 in the United States was reported on 1/22/2020 in Washington State. Eighty days later, the Untied States has reported 555,313 cases, and 22,020 deaths. Who was there from the beginning? Nurses.

Nurses care but at what expense? COVID-19 sheds the spotlight on a well-known chronic condition in nursing- compassion fatigue. Since the very beginning of this pandemic, nurses’ lives have been a constant cycle of caring for critically ill patients; fighting to save each one; watching patients decompensate; mourning; clocking out after a 12-16hr shifts and returning to the bedside the next day. This continuous loop is unsustainable. Nurses are suffering from compassion fatigue.

Compassion fatigue is a state of exhaustion related to the constant exposure to trauma and/or illness. Nurses not only experience increased physical and mental exhaustion, but reductions in work satisfaction too. Can you imagine showing up to a proverbial “hot spot” with a garden hose? Despite nurses’ best efforts, they “spray” water on flames that rage uncontrollably. These nurses are not burnt out. Burnout and compassion fatigue are not the same. Burnout is throwing in the proverbial “towel.” Nurses have compassion fatigue.  They refuse to give up and care deeply. Their caring drives them to to show up for work in the midst of this pandemic.

To get an understanding of compassion fatigue, please watch this video. The nurses discuss patient care during this pandemic. Please click on the link below or copy and paste it in your browser. Scroll down to review the video

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/blog/2020-04-09-coronavirus-news-n1179786/ncrd1180826#blogHeader

Hopefully, this video offers greater insight about compassion fatigue. As you can see, nurses are showing up.  Yes, they “signed” up to care for the sick, but they are also human too.

Perhaps it’s time that the healthcare industry examine nurses’ value and contributions. Compassion fatigue is pervasive in nursing and other helping professions. It may be prudent to address this issue now because the impacts of COVID-19 will be long lasting. Who will the healthcare industry turn to if infection rates increase in the Fall or in 2021 if mitigation strategies fail? Will the healthcare industry expect nurses to continue to fight this battle armed with inadequate supplies and empathy? My last question is who will help the helpers?

Updated June 24, 2020- The United States death toll continues to climb. As of this writing, one hundred and twenty thousand Americans have died of COVID-19.  According to the CDC, 368 healthcare workers died of COVID-19 and over 10,000 have contracted the virus.   Nurses continue to work.

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