ArticleBMC nursing2025
The silent strain beyond the screen: conceptualizing digital compassion fatigue in nursing.
Article in BMC nursing, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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
8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Digital compassion fatigue and digital empathy in healthcare: mapping the evidence and informing a human-centered clinical framework.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Pooled it
- The Unseen Side of Nursing Leadership: Conceptualizing Leadership Blind Spots in Healthcare Settings.Nursing open · 2026Review
- Compassion fatigue and its associated factors among clinical nurses: a cross-sectional study.BMC nursing · 2026Article
- The Transformation of Empathic Care in the Digital Age: A Scoping Review on Digital Empathy from a Nursing Perspective.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- From Concept to Conditions of Practice: Digital Empathy Must be Designed, Taught, and Protected.Nursing inquiry · 2026Article
- Digital burnout in nursing: development of a valid and reliable scale to assess digital burnout associated with the digitalization process in nursing.BMC nursing · 2026Article
- Technostress Creators and Inhibitors: Dual Impacts on Nurses' Psychological and Work Outcomes.Nursing open · 2026Article
- Digital compassion fatigue in nurses: an evolutionary concept analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe integration of digital technologies into healthcare has transformed the way nurses deliver care. While these advancements improve access and efficiency, they also introduce new emotional demands. One emerging phenomenon is Digital Compassion Fatigue (DCF), a form of emotional exhaustion experienced by nurses who provide empathic care through virtual platforms.
aimTo conceptually analyze DCF using Walker and Avant's eight-step model and to identify its defining attributes, antecedents, consequences, and empirical referents.
methodsA concept analysis design guided by Walker and Avant's method was applied. Literature was reviewed to identify current definitions, theoretical underpinnings, and applications of compassion fatigue within digital healthcare contexts. Key sources included peer-reviewed articles, theoretical models, and scoping reviews between 2000 and 2025.
findingsDigital Compassion Fatigue is defined by six key attributes: emotional numbing in digital care, persistent emotional exhaustion post-digital engagement, compassion withdrawal, cognitive overload related to screen-mediated empathy, feelings of professional inefficacy in virtual environments, and a decline in care quality and therapeutic presence. Antecedents include prolonged digital caregiving, high emotional demands, insufficient virtual empathy training, and lack of institutional support. Consequences affect nurses (burnout, emotional withdrawal), patients (reduced satisfaction, trust), and organizations (decreased care quality, retention challenges). No validated tool exists to measure DCF specifically among nurses.
conclusionDigital Compassion Fatigue is a technology-mediated emotional challenge that warrants focused recognition in nursing. The analysis clarifies the unique attributes of DCF and supports the development of measurement tools and targeted interventions to mitigate its effects. Addressing DCF is essential for sustaining nurse well-being and ensuring compassionate care in virtual environments.
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Registered trials
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