Correlation between compassion fatigue and workplace violence in emergency department nurses

Objective: To investigate the workplace violence and compassion fatigue of nurses in emergency department and to explore the relationship between the two.

Methods: The general information questionnaire, workplace violence scale and professional quality of life scale were used to investigate 957 emergency department nurses of 28 Level II hospitals and above.

Results: The scores of each dimension of the professional quality of life scale for nurses in the emergency department were: compassion satisfaction score was 29.91±7.82, the burnout score was 26.63±5.66, and the second trauma score was 23.17±5.94. The total score of compassion fatigue is 49.80±10.42. The incidence of workplace violence was 77.6%. Workplace violence was negatively correlated with compassion satisfaction (r=-0.250, P<0.01) , and positively correlated with burnout, secondary trauma, and total compassion fatigue (r=0.349、0.340、0.384, P<0.01) . Whether there is only non-physical violence in the compassion satisfaction, burnout, secondary trauma, compassion fatigue total score is not statistically significant.

Conclusion: Compassion fatigue is more serious in emergency department nurses, and the incidence of workplace violence is higher. Workplace violence has a positive effect on compassion fatigue. Nursing managers should actively prevent workplace violence and improve the working environment, thus reducing empathy fatigue.