DNP Projects

Date of Award

8-3-2025

Document Type

Graduate Paper

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Department

Nursing

First Advisor

Mary Larson

Subject Categories

Nursing

Abstract

Background:
Compassion fatigue has physical, emotional, and psychological impacts on nurses working in intensive care units. Debriefing sessions can be used to help reduce compassion fatigue by allowing nurses on a cardiac intensive care unit to discuss their thoughts and feelings after the death of a patient who has had a complex hospital stay or traumatic death.

Aim:
The purpose of this project was to assess the perception of compassion fatigue on work life among Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) nurses and to evaluate whether debriefing sessions following demanding situations enhance nurses' coping abilities and emotional processing.

Methods:
Nurses working in the CVICU at one Midwestern hospital were recruited to participate in debriefing sessions. During the debriefing sessions, traumatic patient care situations were discussed. The participants were asked to complete the Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) survey prior to and directly after participating in a debriefing session. The before and after survey results were compared.

Results:
Six registered nurses participated in one debriefing session each. Pre-intervention, five participants reported moderate levels of compassion fatigue, while one reported low levels. Group mean scores for compassion, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress remained relatively unchanged from pre- to post-intervention. The data suggests that a debriefing session did not significantly impact compassion fatigue, burnout, or secondary traumatic stress.

Conclusion:
The project did not demonstrate a reduction in compassion fatigue or an increase in compassion satisfaction among CVICU nurses. The project was limited to one debriefing session and offering sessions weekly is not a sustainable option. However, targeted debriefing sessions following specific traumatic events may offer more timely support, help staff process their experiences, and foster team cohesion.

Key Words: Compassion fatigue, burnout, secondary traumatic stress, cardiovascular intensive care unit, nurses, Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL).

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