Review estimates frequent compassion fatigue among obstetric and gynecological nurses
Across snapshot surveys of obstetric and gynecological nurses, the pooled estimate indicated frequent moderate to severe compassion fatigue. The associated factors do not establish causes, and no intervention was tested.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
The review estimated that moderate to severe compassion fatigue was common among the nurses studied. Compassion fatigue refers to strain associated with caring for others. Sleep quality, social support, traumatic-event exposure and other factors were identified as related to fatigue, but these surveys cannot determine whether changing those factors would reduce it.
The abstract does not explain measurement cutoffs, geographic coverage or variation between studies. The pooled estimate should therefore be read as a summary of these surveyed groups, rather than a universal rate for nurses.
What researchers found
Pooled prevalence estimate
Among surveyed obstetric and gynecological nurses: proportion 0.776 (95% CI: 0.725–0.827). There was no reported external comparator or shared survey timeframe.
Prevalence rather than new cases
Although the results section uses the word incidence, the included studies were cross-sectional surveys and the conclusion describes prevalence. The estimate concerns how common fatigue was in the surveyed groups, rather than how many developed it during follow-up.
Factors without causal direction
The review identified links involving personal, work and health characteristics. The abstract does not give their effect sizes or directions, so it cannot show which factor mattered most or whether any particular support strategy would help.
The original publication
Prevalence and risk factors of compassion fatigue in gynecological and obstetric nurses: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Lv J, Che XY, Xie LL et al.
Front Public Health · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 40726940
- Record checked
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