Abstract:

Aim: This study was conducted to examine the relationship between compassion fatigue and psychological well-being levels of midwives and nurses working in pediatric clinics of a public hospital. Materials and methods: The sample of the study consisted of midwives and nurses actively working in pediatric clinics of a public hospital in Istanbul (Participation Rate: 91.66%). Data were collected with the "Introductory Information Form", "Compassion Fatigue Brief Scale (CFBS)" and "Psychological Well-Being Scale (PWBS)". Descriptive statistics, Mann Whitney U and Kruskal Wallis Test were used to evaluate the data. Results: The mean age of the midwives and nurses who participated in the study was 26.92+3.96 years. It was determined that 62.7% of the midwives and nurses had been working in the pediatric clinic for 1-3 years, 52.7% of them were partially satisfied with the clinic where they worked, and 79.1% of them were affected by the clinical condition of the patient they cared for. The mean CFBS score of the participants was 70.41+18.00, while the mean PWBS score was 42.51+6.47. In the study, it was determined that the income status and duration of professional experience of midwives and nurses significantly affected their psychological well-being, and their willingness to choose the profession and the way they work significantly affected their levels of compassion fatigue and psychological well-being. It was determined that the number of patients cared by the employees in a shift significantly differentiated the level of compassion fatigue. There was no significant relationship between the levels of compassion fatigue and psychological well-being of midwives and nurses in the pediatric clinic. Conclusion: In line with the findings of the study, it was determined that the levels of compassion fatigue and psychological well-being of the participants were differentiated by many variables related to working conditions. It is recommended that qualitative and quantitative studies should be conducted to periodically evaluate the compassion fatigue of midwives and nurses working in pediatric clinics and to determine the causes of compassion fatigue and coping strategies.

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