Compassion Fatigue and Secondary Trauma During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Leading the Movement to Refashion Compassion (FR201)

Abstract

Outcomes 1. Define and differentiate between the components of professional quality of life, including compassion satisfaction, compassion fatigue, secondary trauma, moral injury, and burnout 2. Recognize risk factors and signs of compassion fatigue in yourself and your interprofessional colleagues 3. Identify three specific strategies that can be implemented to improve compassion satisfaction in yourself and your interprofessional teamThe COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world and created a shared trauma. In this context, palliative care has been called upon in unprecedented ways to provide care and to support our colleagues in spite of the evolving risks of our work environment. The uncertainty, fear, and exhaustion during the pandemic are immense and not without life-altering consequences.Compassion fatigue is a sense of emotional exhaustion that leads to decreased ability to feel compassion for others. It is sometimes referred to as secondary traumatic stress. As palliative care clinicians, we are especially prone to compassion fatigue as we bear witness to the suffering of our patients and colleagues. Symptoms of compassion fatigue mimic those of chronic stress, including social isolation, apathy, poor self-care, emotional lability, and substance use. While compassion fatigue is a pre-existing phenomenon, the events of 2020-2021 have produced a considerable impact on clinicians’ practice.Palliative care clinicians are in a prime position to support one another and colleagues through the anticipated post-COVID recovery. Preliminary research in the field indicates that resiliency programs may increase compassion satisfaction and decrease burnout. Although more interdisciplinary research is necessary, the existing data identify potential risk factors and interventions. In this session, an interprofessional team of providers will use brief didactics, case-based examples, and small group discussion to present and define the terminology relevant to compassion fatigue, including professional quality of life, compassion satisfaction, secondary trauma, moral injury, and burnout. The session will equip palliative care clinicians with the tools necessary to identify compassion fatigue while providing a framework within which providers can work to address and manage its complex sequelae. In addition, the session will allow participants to learn from each other, with a forum for sharing strategies that have been successful in their own practice.