The relationship of compassion fatigues and moral sensitivity in critical care nurses

Aim. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between compassion fatigue and moral sensitivity in nurses of critical care units of hospitals affiliated to Qazvin University of Medical Sciences.
Background. Nurses encounter conditions during taking care for clients that can lead to a type of fatigue called compassion fatigue. Ethical sensitivity as the basis of ethics in nursing can be helpful in reducing nursing care problems.
Method. This study was a cross-sectional descriptive-correlational study in which 200 nurses working in critical care units of hospitals affiliated to Qazvin University of Medical Sciences were recruited in the study through census sampling method and inclusion criteria. Demographic characteristic form, and the compassion fatigue questionnaire and moral sensitivity questionnaire was used for data collection. Data were analyzed in SPSS version 19 using descriptive and inferential statistics.
Findings. The mean score of moral sensitivity was 53.21±13.69 and the mean score of compassion fatigue was 25.55±4.66. Spearman correlation coefficients revealed that there was a statistically significant and reverse correlation between moral sensitivity and compassion fatigue among critical care nurses (r=0.171, p=0.015).
Conclusion. The moral sensitivity of critical care nurses is related to their compassion fatigue. Therefore, provision of a framework for strengthening the moral sensitivity of nurses could be effective in reducing this phenomenon