JL1027C: Promoting Self-Care to Reduce Compassion Fatigue in Oncology Nurses and Advanced Practice Providers: An Evidence-Based Practice Implementation Project

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES
Oncology nurses and advanced practice providers (APPs) are at increased risk for compassion fatigue (CF) due to constant exposure to human suffering and the demand to provide compassionate high-quality patient care. This pressure has been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic associated with institutional and system-wide constraints such as increased workloads, decreased funds, and ever-increasing patient acuity.

The purpose of this evidenced-based practice (EBP) implementation project was to establish and implement a comprehensive CF support program to reduce CF and improve compassion satisfaction (CS) for acute care oncology nurses and APPs. The program used a multi-targeted approach, including screening, EBP self-care interventions and engagement with employer-provided tools

SAMPLE AND SETTING
The sample included twenty-six nurses and APPs from an inpatient medical oncology unit at an urban NCI-designated cancer center. Program held during the Fall of 2021.

METHODS AND VARIABLES
This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) EBP implementation project was delivered in three phases. The pre-intervention phase included a demographic and ProQOL 5 surveys and a pre-program knowledge test. The intervention phase consisted of EBP self-care education and strategy sessions held live and recorded over Microsoft Teams. These sessions included multidisciplinary efforts including social workers, a therapist, and integrative medicine therapists. Post-intervention phase followed and included a post-program ProQOL 5 survey, program evaluation survey, and a three-month follow up survey. Descriptive and inferential statistics conducted with paired samples t-test and Wilcoxon signed rank test. Main research variables included compassion fatigue, burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and compassion satisfaction.

RESULTS
Participants subjectively reported less stress and increased job satisfaction while also demonstrating statistically significant differences in ProQOL 5 subset scores for CF, Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS), and CS. Participants also demonstrated an eleven times increase of employer-provided tools.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING
Awareness of the phenomenon of CF or available resources does not translate into engagement with employer services or self-care. A dedicated nurse-led multitargeted CF support program can engage staff in self-care practice and utilization of employer services. This can reduce CF, improve CS, and may potentially improve professional quality of life.

KNOWLEDGE TRANSLATION
CF is highly prevalent in oncology care providers, worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. This requires urgent interventions to support and sustain a healthy workforce. A multi-targeted program with multidisciplinary efforts and utilization of technology can engage staff in self-care and employer-provided tools and improve provider wellness.