Combating Compassion Fatigue With Mindfulness Practice in Military Nurse Practitioners

Abstract

Like their civilian counterparts, military clinicians are at risk for compassion fatigue. Studies have shown a relationship between mindfulness interventions and reduction of compassion fatigue and its components of burnout and secondary traumatic stress. A pilot feasibility study using a mindfulness-based stress reduction program via a mobile application was completed with a group of nurse practitioners in the military. Seventy-five percent of the participants showed improvement in burnout and stress levels and 100% improvement in mindfulness attention. Mindfulness training maybe one way to mitigate symptoms of compassion fatigue for nurse practitioners in the military.