"Compassion fatigue (also known as a secondary traumatic stress disorder) is a condition characterised by a gradual lessening of compassion
over time. It is common among trauma victims and individuals that work
directly with trauma victims. It was first diagnosed in nurses in the
1950s. Sufferers can exhibit several symptoms including hopelessness, a
decrease in experiences of pleasure, constant stress and anxiety, and a
pervasive negative attitude. This can have detrimental effects on
individuals, both professionally and personally, including a decrease in
productivity, the inability to focus, and the development of new
feelings of incompetency and self doubt."
You hear a lot of talk about compassion fatigue in nursing and I feel like I've seen it. We had a patient from another country who was involved in a serious car accident while on vacation in the US in which a relative of the patient died. The patient was on our unit for several weeks and I would often hear nurses complain about how needy or whiny the patient was. I know I'm new (and I hope this doesn't explain my empathy) but imagine yourself in a hospital in a foreign country where you don't speak the language, you're in a pretty good amount of pain from your injuries, and you've just lost a loved one to boot. I think I'd be pretty needy too.
I wonder why with experience and exposure to patients with acute or chronic pain it seems we become detached from the moment and start to see the patient as a just a complainer. After watching a patient sobbing in pain with tears streaming down their face this week, asking themselves and me why God would do this to a person, it never crossed my mind that this patient was a whiner and I hope it never does.
