The cost of caring among healthcare professionals : the development of compassion fatigue and preventative measures and interventions for burnout

Walker, Hayley Joanne

Abstract

This paper is a systematic review of empirical papers investigating preventative strategies and interventions for burnout among healthcare workers. The idea was borne out of a recommendation in the independent NHS Health and Well-being Review (Department of Health, 2009a) commissioned by the Department of Health and led by Dr Stephen Boorman, that is that there should be access to effective interventions for mental health problems faced by NHS staff in all NHS Trusts.

11 studies were included in the review which covered interventions ranging from brief psycho-education, peer-support, intensive residential courses involving individual counselling sessions and whole team-based interventions. Participants both within and between studies included a wide variety of healthcare professionals who worked in a variety of specialities and settings.

Intensive residential courses for self-referring nurses and medics produced long-lasting reductions for those with initially high levels of burnout. Peer-support interventions were also valuable. The interventions reviewed tended to include more than one component and so future research should concentrate on determining which components of the interventions are most useful for which groups of healthcare professionals.

This portfolio thesis comprises three parts:

Part I is a systematic literature review of empirical papers investigating preventative strategies and interventions for burnout among healthcare workers. The idea was borne out of a recommendation in the independent NHS Health and Well-being Review (DoH, 2009a) commissioned by the Department of Health and led by Dr Stephen Boorman, that there should be access to effective interventions for mental health problems faced by NHS staff in all NHS Trusts.

Part II is an empirical paper that has also arisen from a recommendation of the Boorman Review (DoH, 2009a), namely that the NHS should adopt a prevention-focused health and well-being strategy for staff. To help enable this, a clearer understanding of how healthcare professionals come to experience difficulties in the course of their work is required. To further this understanding a quantitative test was applied to the Positivity Negativity Ratio Model of the development of Compassion Satisfaction and Compassion Fatigue proposed by Radey & Figley (2007) as applied to mental health workers.

Part III comprises the appendixes with additional information relevant to the systematic literature review and empirical paper, and a reflective statement of the research process.

Citation

Walker, H. J. (2011). The cost of caring among healthcare professionals : the development of compassion fatigue and preventative measures and interventions for burnout. (Thesis). University of Hull. Retrieved from https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4211721

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Jan 17, 2012
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 22, 2023
• Keywords: Clinical psychology
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4211721
• Additional Information: Department of Clinical Psychology, The University of Hull
• Award Date: Jun 1, 2011