COMPARISON OF COMPASSION FATIGUE BETWEEN ONCOLOGY NURSES OF MILITARY AND PUBLIC HOSPITALS IN GREECE

Introduction: Oncology nurses are the healthcare professionals in most direct contact with advanced disease and death. Thus, they often experience compassion fatigue. Compassion fatigue is characterized by burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and low job satisfaction. Objective: The aim of the study was to compare the levels of compassion fatigue between oncology nurses of military and civilian hospitals in Greece. Methods: A quantitative, cross-sectional study was conducted between February and March 2023 and included 244 oncology nurses. Participants completed the Greek version of the Professional Quality Of Life Scale (ProQOL) questionnaire and a demographic data form. The questionnaires were distributed online via a personal email through the email database of the Hellenic Oncology Nurses Society-Hellenic Nurses Association, after relevant permission. The acquired data were processed with the SPSS.22 data analysis program. Results: The 63.5% (n=155) of the participants were civilian nurses and the 36.5% (n=89) were military nurses. The majority of the nurses were women (75%). Overall, levels of compassion fatigue did not statistically significant differ between military and public hospitals’ oncology nurses (p= 0.32). Levels of compassion fatigue appeared to be related to the educational background (p=0.00), palliative care expertise (p= 0.013), and psychological support (p=0.001) while no associations were seen with other demographic variables such as gender (p= 0.27), age (p= 0.06), and years of professional experience (p>0.05). Conclusion: Although, the work environments of military and public hospitals may appear very different, cancer care in all its complexity and demand is similar, so are the levels of compassion fatigue in oncology nurses. Nevertheless, more studies are needed to thoroughly investigate compassion fatigue in this sample.