A survey of compassion satisfaction, burnout and compassion fatigue in nurses practicing in three oncology departments in Durban, South Africa

Prolonged and continual contact with grief and recurrent deaths, observing patients undergoing unrelenting medication therapies which could prove unsuccessful, and a constant atmosphere of hopelessness put the oncology nurse at high risk of developing compassion fatigue and burnout. This study conducted a survey of compassion satisfaction, burnout and compassion fatigue in nurses practicing in three oncology departments in Durban, South Africa. A quantitative non-experimental descriptive survey using purposive sampling. Results revealed that 55% (n = 83) of participants had high compassion satisfaction, 61% (n = 83) had average burnout and 75% (n = 83) had average compassion fatigue. Only three participants scored high risk for compassion fatigue. The results from this study are in contrast to previous international and national studies where compassion fatigue and burnout were reported at high-risk levels. This study revealed average to high levels of compassion satisfaction.