Aims and objectives: To evaluate compassion fatigue (CF), burnout (BO), compassion satisfaction (CS) and perceived stress in healthcare professionals during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) health crisis in Spain. Background: Spain has been one of the countries hardest hit by the health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare professionals have had to deal with traumatic and complex situations in the work context. In these particularly stressful situations, many professionals may develop CF or BO, which puts them at risk for mental health problems. Design: Cross-sectional online survey. Methods: A total of 506 healthcare professionals (physicians and nurses) who were working in healthcare centres during the COVID-19 pandemic participated. CF, CS and BO were assessed with the Professional Quality of Life Questionnaire, and perceived stress was measured with the Perceived Stress Scale-14. Socio-demographic and occupational variables were also analysed. Data were collected during the period of the highest incidence of cases and highest mortality rates due to COVID-19 in Spain. This article adheres to the STROBE guidelines for the reporting of observational studies. Results: Physicians had higher CF and BO scores, while nurses had higher CS scores. Perceived stress scores were similar in both occupations. Professionals working in specific COVID-19 units and in emergency departments had higher CF and BO scores, while levels of CS and perceived stress were similar regardless of the workplace. Relevance to clinical practice: Despite the health crisis situation and its implications for healthcare professionals, the levels of CF and BO have remained moderate/high. However, CS seems to be increasing, especially among nurses, possibly due to their motivation to relieve suffering and due to their perceived social recognition. It is

This study aimed to analyze the professional quality of life and the perceived stress of health professionals before COVID-19 in Spain, in primary and hospital care professionals. A cross-sectional observational study on health professionals working in health centers during the health crisis caused by COVID-19 was conducted. Professional Quality of Life (ProQoL) and Perceived Stress (PSS-14) were measured, along with socio-demographic and labor variables through an online questionnaire. A descriptive and correlation analysis was performed. A total of 537 professionals participated, both in hospital care (54.7%) and in primary care (45.3%). There was a predominance of medium Compassion Satisfaction, high Compassion Fatigue and medium Burnout. Mean scores for compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction were slightly higher in primary care, while burnout was higher in hospital care. When primary care participants were grouped by profession, significant differences were found in relation to perceived stress and to the three subscales of professional quality of life. In hospital care, the differences were observed when comparing compassion fatigue and perceived stress by gender. In addition, with respect to Burnout it was carried out by type of contract and shift and in relation to perceived stress grouped by sex, contract and profession. The COVID-19 health crisis has had an impact on mental health and the quality of professional life of health professionals. There is a need to implement long-term contingency programs aimed at improving the emotional well-being of health service professionals.

The coronavirus pandemic has exposed healthcare professionals to suffering and stressful working conditions. The aim of this study was to analyze professional quality of life among healthcare professionals and its relationship with empathy, resilience, and self‐compassion during the COVID‐19 crisis in Spain. A cross‐sectional study was conducted with 506 healthcare professionals, who participated by completing an online questionnaire. A descriptive correlational analysis was performed. A multivariate regression analysis and a decision tree were used to identify the variables associated with professional quality of life. Empathy, resilience, and mindfulness were the main predictors of compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and burnout, respectively.

Health professionals are exposed to situations of emotional vulnerability by being in continuous contact with patients and their suffering, which can cause conditions such as compassion fatigue. To address this issue, therapies such as mindfulness are being used to reduce stress and promote self‐compassion. The objective of this research was to carry out a systematic review and meta‐analysis to analyse the types of mindfulness interventions that are being used for healthcare professionals and their effectiveness in reducing stress and improving self‐compassion and mindfulness. Following the PRISMA guideline, a systematic review of original studies was carried out in the following databases: Medline, Scopus, Cinhal, PsycINFO, Lilacs, and Science Direct, without a limited time frame. Controlled experimental mindfulness interventions on health professionals were selected, in which the following outcome variables were measured: stress, self‐compassion, and mindfulness. A meta‐analysis was performed with a random effects model. In cases of very high heterogeneity, the data were analysed by subgroup. Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction Therapy (MBSR) was the most often used in the studies. There is diversity in the implementation of MBSR, and a common finding is a reduction of stress and increased mindfulness in health professionals. However, studies that analyse self‐compassion are scarce. The effect of these therapies varies depending on how long the individual has been practising meditation. In conclusion, more studies are needed to describe the clinical usefulness of these programmes, to jointly analyse these three variables (stress, self‐compassion, and mindfulness), and to measure compassion fatigue as an outcome variable.