SynthesisPloS one2015
The Prevalence of Compassion Fatigue and Burnout among Healthcare Professionals in Intensive Care Units: A Systematic Review.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 213 papers, 11 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
213 citing papers in PubMed, 11 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 594 citations in OpenAlex.
- Burnout, Compassion Fatigue, and Compassion Satisfaction Interventions via Mobile Applications: A Systematic Review and a Meta-Analysis.Worldviews on evidence-based nursing · 2025Pooled it
- The Effectiveness of Debriefing on the Mental Health of Rescue Teams: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Pooled it
- Measurement of compassion fatigue in animal health care professionals: a systematic review of available instruments and their content validity.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2024Pooled it
- Effects of standardized mindfulness programs on burnout: a systematic review and original analysis from randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in public health · 2024Pooled it
- Determinants of Burnout among Teachers: A Systematic Review of Longitudinal Studies.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Prevalence of oncology nurses' compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue: Systematic review and meta-analysis.Nursing open · 2022Pooled it
- Mindfulness, Compassion, and Self-Compassion Among Health Care Professionals: What's New? A Systematic Review.Frontiers in psychology · 2020Pooled it
- Scales Used to Measure Job Stressors in Intensive Care Units: Are They Relevant and Reliable? A Systematic Review.Frontiers in psychology · 2020Pooled it
- Compassion fatigue in critical care nurses. An integrative review of the literature.Saudi medical journal · 2019Pooled it
- Amyloid Biomarkers in Conformational Diseases at Face Value: A Systematic Review.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2017Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Boosting Empathy and Compassion Through Mindfulness-Based and Socioemotional Dyadic Practice: Randomized Controlled Trial With App-Delivered Trainings.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Trial
- Wellbeing Training Based on Contemplative Practices in a Sample of Intensive Care and Homecare Professionals: A Pilot and Feasibility Non-Randomized Clinical Trial.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Trial
- Randomized controlled trial of the "WISER" intervention to reduce healthcare worker burnout.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2021Trial
- Comparison of the Effectiveness of an Abbreviated Program versus a Standard Program in Mindfulness, Self-Compassion and Self-Perceived Empathy in Tutors and Resident Intern Specialists of Family and Community Medicine and Nursing in Spain.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Trial
- [Evaluation of the effectiveness of a Mindfulness and Self-Compassion program to reduce stress and prevent burnout in Primary Care health professionals].Atencion primaria · 2018Trial
- Double-Edged Sword Effects, Experiences of Vicarious Trauma Among Paediatric Intensive Care Unit Nurses: A Qualitative Study.Journal of clinical nursing · 2026Article
- A nursing care model with a skill mix in the intensive care unit: a qualitative study of ICU nurses' and care assistants' experiences.BMC nursing · 2026Article
- Evaluating an intervention for healthcare professionals to facilitate family-centred conversations when an adult patient has a serious illness.BMC medical education · 2026Article
- Bolstering wellbeing and mitigating burnout in critical care: a mixed-methods exploration.Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthesie · 2026Article
153 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundWorking in the stressful environment of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is an emotionally charged challenge that might affect the emotional stability of medical staff. The quality of care for ICU patients and their relatives might be threatened through long-term absenteeism or a brain and skill drain if the healthcare professionals leave their jobs prematurely in order to preserve their own health. PURPOSE: The purpose of this review is to evaluate the literature related to emotional distress among healthcare professionals in the ICU, with an emphasis on the prevalence of burnout and compassion fatigue and the available preventive strategies.
methodsA systematic literature review was conducted, using Embase, Medline OvidSP, Cinahl, Web-of-science, PsychINFO, PubMed publisher, Cochrane and Google Scholar for articles published between 1992 and June, 2014. Studies reporting the prevalence of burnout, compassion fatigue, secondary traumatic stress and vicarious trauma in ICU healthcare professionals were included, as well as related intervention studies.
resultsForty of the 1623 identified publications, which included 14,770 respondents, met the selection criteria. Two studies reported the prevalence of compassion fatigue as 7.3% and 40%; five studies described the prevalence of secondary traumatic stress ranging from 0% to 38.5%. The reported prevalence of burnout in the ICU varied from 0% to 70.1%. A wide range of intervention strategies emerged from the recent literature search, such as different intensivist work schedules, educational programs on coping with emotional distress, improving communication skills, and relaxation methods.
conclusionsThe true prevalence of burnout, compassion fatigue, secondary traumatic stress and vicarious trauma in ICU healthcare professionals remains open for discussion. A thorough exploration of emotional distress in relation to communication skills, ethical rounds, and mindfulness might provide an appropriate starting point for the development of further preventive strategies.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.