Assessing the Triggers of Compassion Fatigue in Nurses that Provoke Patient Reactions during Nursing Care and the use of Mechanisms of Change to Mitigate it at the Paediatric Unit of the Tamale Teaching Hospital

https://doi.org/10.46610/IJRMSN.2026.v07i01.005

Abstract

Compassion Fatigue (CF) is a growing concern in nursing, particularly in paediatric units where emotional demands are high. This study explores the triggers of CF among nurses at the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) and examines how these triggers influence patient and family reactions during care. The study employed a qualitative design at the TTH paediatric unit. An interpretive phenomenological approach was used for the collection and analysis of data. The study also investigated mechanisms of change, which were coping strategies and institutional interventions that nurses employ to mitigate CF and restore therapeutic relationships. The TTH and the paediatric unit were purposefully selected for convenience, proximity, and purpose, as the study was focused on paediatric nursing. A sample size of 10 nurse respondents was used. Findings reveal that emotional overload, repeated exposure to suffering, and lack of institutional support are key CF triggers. These provoke patient reactions such as withdrawal, mistrust, and verbal aggression. Mechanisms of change include peer support, spiritual reflection, and trauma-informed care practices. The study offers practical, theoretical, and policy insights for improving nurse well-being and patient outcomes. The researchers recommended that future researchers focus on investigating other potential factors that could lead nurses to develop compassion fatigue, such as personal perspectives and the application of religion and spirituality at work, to holistically assess and prevent both positive and negative reactions of patients and their relatives to the work of nurses. This study, seeks to provide a paradigm shift from the effects of compassion fatigue on the nurse to a tangent of how patients and their relatives react or respond to the actions of nurses in the wake of compassion fatigue as they care for Paediatric patients in Ghana.