Intensive Crit Care Nurs. 2025 Dec 6;93:104289. doi: 10.1016/j.iccn.2025.104289. Online ahead of print.

BACKGROUND: Compassion fatigue, comprising of burnout (BO) and secondary traumatic stress (STS), is a critical occupational hazard in healthcare. It is a state of physical mental exhaustion and dysfunction resulting from prolonged exposure to work and compassion related stress. The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) professionals are vulnerable to compassion fatigue (CF) due to the high mortality rates, overstimulating environment and overcrowding in the unit.

AIM: To estimate the prevalence and factors of compassion satisfaction, burnout and secondary traumatic stress among medical professionals working in intensive care units.

METHODS: A meta-analysis and systematic review were conducted following the PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus and Science Direct databases were searched from 2000 to 4th December 2024. Random-effects model was used to calculate pooled prevalence estimates. Subgroup analyses were conducted by geographical region and study period.

RESULTS: Twenty-nine studies involving 4,925 ICU professionals across 18 countries were analysed. The pooled prevalence estimates were 70.36 % (95 % CI: 59.48-80.22) for STS, 74.38 % (95 % CI: 67.70-80.55) for BO, and 92.25 % (95 % CI: 86.30-96.72) for CS. Subgroup analysis revealed significant regional differences, with Asian professionals demonstrating higher CF and lower CS compared to the Americas. Determinants of CS and CF were grouped into demographic, organizational, and psychological domains.

CONCLUSIONS: ICU professionals face a high risk of BO and STS, emphasizing the urgent need for systemic strategies to mitigate compassion fatigue and enhance mental health.

PubMed:41354016 | DOI:10.1016/j.iccn.2025.104289