Suffering in the Face of Humanitarian Crises and Emergencies

Abstract

This chapter explores suffering in the context of humanitarian crises and describes how ongoing conflict can lead to disparities, displacement, and a continuous humanitarian response that requires comprehensive care to end the cycle of disease and poverty. A case study of Haiti’s nursing workforce at Zanmi Lasante/Partners In Health, a global health care nonprofit, is provided, along with specific examples of nurses and nurse leaders who experience burnout from chronic stress as a result of patient care. The argument is made that pathological resilience—particularly in Haiti where resilience is considered a way of life—must be reexamined to be viewed as detrimental to a nurse’s well-being and to the broader health workforce. The chapter concludes with an emphasis on the need for overall health systems strengthening, taking into consideration the position of both nurse and patient in order to deliver quality patient care through accompaniment alongside the provision of psychosocial and mental health support for caregivers.

Palliative Care in Times of War

“…In their chapter, “Suffering in the Face of Humanitarian Crises and Emergencies,” nurses and authors Sheila Davis, DNP, ANP-BC, FAAN, and Mark Julmisse, MPH, BSN, describe the palliative care needs of people who become victims of both “manmade” and “natural” disasters 2 . Both have been involved in Partners In Health, a major nongovernmental organization rooted in social justice that aims to provide health care to the poorest populations, especially after natural disasters such as in Haiti and in many countries at war.…”

“…Nurses care for chronically ill patients who face new sources of suffering as well as those who have acutely been impacted by crisis. Davis and Julmisse 2 conclude that “humanitarian crises cause suffering. People in crisis, regardless of the cause suffer physical, mentally, emotionally.”…”