Basic Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2022. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Pediatr. Jan 9, 2022; 11(1): 38-47
Published online Jan 9, 2022. doi: 10.5409/wjcp.v11.i1.38
Levels of vocational satisfaction, burnout and compassion fatigue of health professionals working in pediatric clinics
Oğuz Koyuncu, Sevda Arslan
Oğuz Koyuncu, Department of Nursing, Sakarya Training and Research Hospital, Sakarya 0080, Düzce, Turkey
Sevda Arslan, Department of Nursing, Düzce University Faculty of Health Sciences, Merkez 81100, Düzce, Turkey
Author contributions: Koyuncu O and Arslan S performed the measurements, processed the experimental data, performed the analysis, drafted the manuscript and aided in interpreting the results and worked on the manuscript; all authors discussed the results and commented on the manuscript.
Institutional review board statement: The approval of the Sakarya University Faculty of Medicine Ethics Committee was obtained to evaluate the ethical suitability of the research at the same time (dated 142.07.2018 and numbered 142).
Conflict-of-interest statement: No any conflict of interest.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Sevda Arslan, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Nursing, Düzce University Faculty of Health Sciences, Beçi Kampüsü Konuralp Yerleşkesi, Merkez 81100, Düzce, Turkey. sevdaozdincer@hotmail.com
Received: March 15, 2021
Peer-review started: March 15, 2021
First decision: March 31, 2021
Revised: April 15, 2021
Accepted: August 24, 2021
Article in press: August 24, 2021
Published online: January 9, 2022
Processing time: 297 Days and 21.3 Hours
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
Research background

Burnout and compassion fatigue are affecting the quality of professional life.

Research motivation

Doctors and nurses working in pediatric clinics caring for sick or dying children for a long time can develop compassion fatigue. This may affect their professional quality of life.

Research objectives

This study has been done to determine the levels of professional satisfaction, burnout and compassion fatigue of nurses and doctors working in pediatric clinics and related factors.

Research methods

This was a descriptive study.

Research results

The mean scores of female healthcare professionals in Quality of Life Scale for Employees (QoLSE) Vocational Satisfaction Sub-Dimension and the mean scores of the male healthcare professionals in QoLSE Burnout Sub-Dimension were significantly higher than those of the females (P < 0.05). When examined according to professions, the QoLSE Occupational Satisfaction Sub-Dimension mean scores of doctors were significantly lower than those of the nurses and midwives (P < 0.05), while the QoLSE Burnout Sub-Dimension and Empathy Fatigue Sub-Dimension mean scores of the doctors were higher (P < 0.05). In the comparison made according to the satisfaction of health professionals with their working conditions, the QoLSE Occupational Satisfaction Sub-Dimension mean score of the dissatisfied professionals was significantly lower and the QoLSE Burnout Sub-Dimension mean score was significantly higher.

Research conclusions

The working conditions of health professionals should be improved physically and socially, and time should be given to allow them to get rid of the negative emotions they have experienced after child deaths.

Research perspectives

In this context, it is essential to collect information that will improve the risk profile associated with burnout syndrome among health professionals working in the field of child health and diseases. Future research should focus on identifying the protection factors or positive aspects that enable healthcare professionals to successfully cope with burnout.