When and how we cannot bear it anymore? A thematic synthesis of global qualitative studies about psychological experiences of the healthcare staff during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction: This study aimed to use the thematic synthesis method to review qualitative research about the psychological experiences of healthcare staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: Out of 218 English articles that are found in PsycINFO, Web of Science, Medline, and Google Scholar databases from 2019 to 2021, 22 articles met the inclusion criteria. The process of thematic synthesis was performed based on Thomas and Harden's analysis method in three stages open coding, organizing codes into common categories, and finally creating the main themes. Results: After analyzing the results, five main themes were extracted including compassion fatigue, factors affecting compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, factors affecting compassion satisfaction, and strategic recommendations. Conclusion: According to the findings, it can be concluded that the healthcare staff experienced both compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic. Compassion fatigue and satisfaction can affect the psychological state of the healthcare staff as well as the quality of care they provide. The underlying factors of both concepts are discussed and some recommendations are provided.