Role of compassion competence among clinical nurses in professional quality of life

AIM: The study aimed to explore measurable compassion competence among nurses and to examine the relationships between nurses' compassion competence and levels of compassion satisfaction, compassion fatigue and secondary traumatic stress.

BACKGROUND: Compassion is a vital asset in the nursing profession. It is necessary to explore whether compassion competence is a factor influencing professional quality of life.

METHODS: This study utilized a multicenter descriptive cross-sectional survey. Data were collected from 680 nurses.

RESULTS: Professional quality of life based on nurses' general characteristics showed a significant difference in the subjects' age, marital status, education, and total clinical experience. In addition, compassion competence had a significant positive correlation with compassion satisfaction and STS, whereas it had a significant negative correlation with burnout. Compassion competence was a factor influencing compassion satisfaction and burnout in professional quality of life.

LIMITATIONS: Our study included nurses with at least 1 year of clinical experience in a single cultural area, which limits its widespread applicability. To improve generalizability, future studies should include clinical nurses of various races, working in diverse cultural areas and with various levels of experience (including entry-level nurses and nursing students).

CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND HEALTH POLICY: Compassion competence of clinical nurses was a predictive factor for professional quality of life. Hospital administrators, nurse leaders and policy makers should develop and adopt nurse-retaining strategies that focus on improving nurses' compassion competence in order to reduce their burnout. We recommend the development of educational programmes to improve nurses' compassion competence and thereby enhance their professional quality of life.