Nursing on Pins: The Consequences of Nurses’ Actions in the Wake of Compassion Fatigue at the Paediatric Unit of a Teaching Hospital in Ghana

Abstract

This study intends to focus on the effects or consequences that result from the worsening or endurance of compassion fatigue over time, leading to serious reactions that compromise the nurses’ ability to interact in positive and helpful ways with patients and families. Hence, the concept of nursing on pins signifies the defiance nurses exhibit in providing compassionate care despite being in a state of compassion fatigue and regardless of the consequential healthcare outcomes. Compassion fatigue, marked by emotional exhaustion and reduced empathy, poses significant risks to both caregiver well-being and patient outcomes, particularly in high-stress environments like paediatric care units. This study explores the lived experiences of paediatric nurses grappling with compassion fatigue as a consequence of their actions at a major teaching hospital in Ghana. A qualitative study based on hermeneutic interpretive phenomenology paradigm analysis framework (IPA), following Van Manen’s model, was used, emphasising the conscious experiences of the nurses on the meaning they ascribe to human reality, such as human judgment, perceptions and actions. A sample size of 10 nurses was used, and data gathering employed a non-probability purposive sampling, using the linear snowballing method. Key findings reveal emotional detachment, moral distress, compromised patient care, institutional silence, and resilience strategies. The study underscores the need for systemic interventions to support nurses and safeguard paediatric care quality.