Effects of lateral communication-based decompression group on reducing compassion fatigue in nurses of traumatology department

Abstract

Objective To explore the effects of lateral communication-based decompression group on reducing compassion fatigue in nurses of traumatology department. Methods A total of 61 clinical nurses were selected in this study from March to May 2017 using purposive sampling. The participants were randomly divided into two groups. The control group (n=28) received routine psychological care while the observation group (n=31) received lateral communication-based decompression intervention. The compassion fatigue was measured using Professional Quality of Life Scale. Results The observation group had significantly higher scores of compassion satisfaction compared with the control group [ (33.48±7.14) vs. (30.11±6.34) at one week after the intervention; (34.07±6.86) vs. (29.75±6.42) at three months after the intervention; t=3.306, 5.645; P<0.05]. Regarding secondary trauma, the observation group had significantly lower scores compared with the control group [ (22.61±5.85) vs. (25.88±6.06) at one week after the intervention; (22.17±5.76) vs. (25.74±6.33) at three months after the intervention; t=2.748, 3.320; P<0.01]. At three months after the intervention , the scores for work burnout were significantly lower in the observation group compared with the control group [ (19.37±5.27) vs. (22.95±6.82) ; t=3.053, P<0.01]. Conclusions The lateral communication-based decompression intervention can enhance nurses' compassion satisfaction level and reduce the secondary trauma and job burnout status. Key words: Nurses; Lateral communication; Compassion fatigue