Interprofessional Group Intervention to Enhance Compassion Satisfaction and Resilience

An Exploratory Study Examining Use of the Oxygen for Caregivers® Program

The purpose of this study is to evaluate an educational professional development program designed to assist health care professionals in developing self-awareness and self-care choices as a means to avoid compassion fatigue and improve resilience.

Professional caregivers are at risk of compassion fatigue due to the nature of their work and repeated exposure over time to work-related stressors. Symptoms of compassion fatigue may include decreased concentration/productivity, increased sick days, and high turnover rates which directly effect patient satisfaction and safety. Lack of data that supports this use of program, though anecdotally, it has been endorsed and benefits from its use are described. Quality of patient care, workforce engagement, and financial effects from turnover of staff are viewed as negative impacts from compassion fatigue.

Our study seeks to extend the body of knowledge with regard to use of a particular resilience program that has shown some promise in a small pilot study.

Inclusion Criteria:

• employment within inpatient or outpatient setting in non-profit healthcare system as a healthcare professional
• Professional direct caregivers (nurses, physicians, advanced practice providers, social workers, counselors, chaplains, respiratory therapists, pharmacists

Exclusion Criteria:

• actively participating in or plans to participate in any other formalized mindfulness-based stress reduction program during the time period of the study