Date of Conferral
8-4-2026
Date of Award
August 2026
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Nursing
Advisor
Elizabeth Diener
Abstract
Compassion fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a significant challenge for healthcare professionals, particularly nurses in the emergency department (ED), due to the demanding, high-pressure nature of their work environment and their increased exposure to human suffering. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological descriptive study, guided by Nursing Theory of Personal Empathy, was to describe the meaning of ED nurses' interactions with superuser patients and how these interactions affect ED nurses' empathy and susceptibility to developing CFS. A purposive sample of 8 ED nurses with at least 3 years of experience as ED staff nurses working with superuser patients participated in semistructured interviews. The collected narratives were analyzed using Colaizzi’s seven-step descriptive phenomenological method, yielding six major themes: Compassionate Presence, Cumulative Emotional Toll, Superusers Adding Unit Stress, Holistic and Multidisciplinary Approaches, Professional Boundaries and Self- Preservation, and Sustaining Factors. Findings indicate that while nurses strive to maintain compassionate care, the cumulative emotional strain of these interactions can lead to compassion fatigue without adequate support. Implications for positive social change include improved support and sustainability of ED nurses' long-term emotional resilience, as a measure to improve health outcomes benefiting both patient outcomes and nurse well-being.
Recommended Citation
Cavette, Makeba K., "Emergency Nurses' Perceptions of Interpersonal Empathy When Caring for Department Superusers" (2026). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 20499.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/20499
