Prevalence and Risk Factors of Compassion Satisfaction and Compassion Fatigue Among Emergency Medicine Professionals: A Cross-Sectional Study from Saudi Arabia

Introduction: While compassion satisfaction (CS) and compassion fatigue (CF) have been extensively researched and reported all across the world, limited data is available on these parameters from the Emergency Departments (ED) of large hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Hence, this study was conducted to generate evidence on the prevalence and risk factors of CS and CF among ED professionals in a large tertiary care hospital in the country. Methods: This cross-sectional study employed a self-administered, survey-based demographic questionnaire. The Professional Quality of Life scale version 5 was used to assess the prevalence of CS and CF in the study population. CF was defined as a composite of Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS) and Burnout (BU). Multiple regression analysis was used to analyze the correlation of CS, STS and BU with demographic risk factors. Results: A total of 151 ED professionals participated in the study. The overall score of 37.7 ± 6.84, indicated a moderate level of CS, which increased with advancing age (younger age [25-29 years versus >40 years]; p=0.0344). The study also reported moderate levels of STS and BU scores, 24.4 ± 6.93 and 25.6 ± 6.25 respectively. Significantly lower CS and BU and higher STS levels were reported among females versus males; p=0.0023, p=0.0284 and p=0.0274 respectively. The BU levels significantly decreased with advancing age (p=0.0005). Nurses in the ED experienced higher BU versus doctors (p=0.0295). Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study from Saudi Arabia to assess CS, STS and BU, in a cohort of emergency doctors as well as nurses. The study highlights a trend of poor professional satisfaction, coupled with rising levels of fatigue and emotional drainage, among ED professionals in a large tertiary hospital in Saudi Arabia. This indicates a growing cause of concern, warranting urgent redressal and future research in the country