The phenomenon of compassion fatigue in perioperative nursing.

Compassion fatigue is described as the emotional burden that health care providers may experience as a result of overexposure to a traumatic event that has befallen victims. Perioperative nurses are experiencing increased exposure to major traumatic events within their practice, especially those nurses who work in level 1 trauma centers. This article helps nurses identify risks for compassion fatigue and symptoms associated with this form of stress.