Compassion Fatigue and Burnout Among Healthcare Professionals: A Scoping Review Protocol (Preprint)

Abstract

BACKGROUND Compassion fatigue and burnout among healthcare professionals are growing concerns, impacting the well-being of both providers and patients. OBJECTIVE Map existing evidence on the levels of compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress among healthcare professionals, while identifying factors influencing their professional quality of life. METHODS We will conduct a scoping review using established methods and reporting guidelines. EMBASE, ERIC, PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, and Web of Science will be searched from March 2019 to March 2024, with an update closer to the time of manuscript submission. Grey literature sources will also be searched. Publications that contain primary studies, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and clinical guidelines addressing compassion fatigue and burnout prevention in healthcare professionals will be selected for inclusion. Extracted data items will include: study characteristics, interventions for prevention of compassion fatigue and burnout, measures of compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress, as well as quality of reporting and methodology. RESULTS A narrative synthesis with summary tables will be used to describe our findings. CONCLUSIONS Our findings will help identify gaps in the literature with respect to compassion fatigue and burnout prevention strategies for healthcare professionals. This review will provide a comprehensive overview of current research, informing future interventions and policies aimed at improving healthcare professionals' well-being and job satisfaction CLINICALTRIAL [Open Science Framework registration link] (note that information on this link will be updated upon acceptance for publication based on reviewer comments).