Lived experiences of Filipino occupational therapists amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the East Coast, USA: compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Background: Occupational therapists and other healthcare workers are characterized as having a higher probability of experiencing work-related stress and mental health issues than other professionals. Moreover, occupational therapists utilize mindful, compassionate care and full empathetic engagement in every clientele that draws from a source of wellness, strength, resilience, and presence. Occupational therapists provide client-centered care and highlight the therapeutic use of self by showing empathy and genuine engagement. This approach often exposes occupational therapists to clients’ experienced trauma during service delivery, leading to other problems for the healthcare practitioner. However, there is limited literature about burnout, compassion fatigue, and other mental health issues experienced by occupational therapists. More so, as accentuated by the past years of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Objectives: This study addresses the following research objective, to explore the lived experiences of Filipino occupational therapists working in the East Coast, USA, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Through their lived experiences, we can gain insight into how their experiences shape compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction, which can then be used to attenuate its adverse effects on the well-being of occupational therapists.
Materials and methods: Ten Filipino occupational therapists who managed COVID- 19 cases in the East Coast, USA, served as the participants in individual in-depth interviews centered around their experience of COVID-19 patient care. Transcripts served as qualitative data sets and underwent thematic analysis.
Results: Three themes emerged from the analysis and include: (1) Professional Experience: Waging War against the Pandemic, (2) Compassion Fatigue, and (3) Compassion Satisfaction.
Conclusion: Despite facing conflict, uncertainty, and worry during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Filipino occupational therapists find fulfillment in helping their patients recover and achieve optimal performance in affected occupations. Compassion fatigue themes are adverse effects of COVID-19, heavy workload combined with less manpower, and difficulty separating work and personal life. Compassion satisfaction includes participants’ view of their work as heroic and support from co-workers. This requires occupational therapists to highlight setting boundaries and doing everyday life routines to take a break from work and motivation to provide for themselves and their families. Moreover, this posits a need for healthcare organizations to re-examine strategies to attenuate compassion fatigue and highlight compassion satisfaction.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Personal views expressed by the contributors in their articles are not necessarily those of the Journal of Associated Medical Sciences, Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences, Chiang Mai University.
References
Cavanagh N, Cockett G, Heinrich C, Doig L, Fiest K, Guichon JR, et al. Compassion fatigue in healthcare providers: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Nurs Ethics. 2020; 27(3): 639-65. doi: 10.1177/0969 733019889400.
Zeman E, Harvison N. Burnout, stress, and compassion fatigue in occupational therapy practice and education: a call for mindful, self-care protocols.NAM Perspect. 2017; 7(3). doi: 10.31478/201703g.
Huang Y hua, Kim H, Le M, Martinez J, Martin J, Maghen E, et al. Predictors and risk factors of compassion satisfaction, burnout, and compassion fatigue among OTs. Am J Occup Ther. 2019; 73(4_ Supplement_1): 7311505161p1. doi: 10.5014/ ajot.2019.73S1-PO6010.
Lluch-Sanz C, Galiana L, Doménech-Vañó P, Sansó N. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on burnout, compassion fatigue, and compassion satisfaction in healthcare personnel: a systematic review of the literature published during the first year of the pandemic. Healthcare. 2022; 10(2): 364. doi: 10.3390/healthcare10020364/S1.
Bulan PMP, Lagria MMG. COVID-19 and the local landscape of occupational therapy education: a case report about the voices of Cebuano occupational therapy educators and students. World Fed Occup Ther Bull. 2020; 76(2): 108-15. doi: 10.1080/1447 3828.2020.1805202.
Yeşil A, Polat Ş. Investigation of psychological factors related to compassion fatigue, burnout, and compassion satisfaction among nurses. BMC Nurs. 2023; 22(1): 12. doi: 10.1186/s12912-023-01174-3.
Spoorthy MS, Pratapa SK, Mahant S. Mental health problems faced by healthcare workers due to the COVID-19 pandemic-A review. Asian J Psychiatr. 2020; 51102119. doi: 10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102119.
Figley CR. Compassion fatigue: Psychotherapists’ chronic lack of self-care. J Clin Psychol. 2002; 58(11): 1433-41. doi: 10.1002/jclp.10090.
Coetzee SK, Laschinger HKS. Toward a comprehensive, theoretical model of compassion fatigue: An integrative literature review. Nurs Health Sci. 2018; 20(1): 4-15. doi: 10.1111/nhs.12387.
Thomas Y, Menage D. Reclaiming compassion as a core value in occupational therapy. Br J Occup Ther. 2016; 79(1): 3-4. doi: 10.1177/0308022615620682.
Ripat J, Wener P, Dobinson K. The development of client-centredness in student occupational therapists. Br J Occup Ther. 2013; 76(5): 217-24. doi: 10.4276/030802213X13679275042681.
El-Shafei DA, Abdelsalam AE, Hammam RAM, Elgohary H. Professional quality of life, wellness education, and coping strategies among emergency physicians. Environ Sci Pollut Res. 2018; 25(9): 9040-50. doi: 10.1007/s11356-018-1240-y.
Nasol K, Francisco-Menchavez V. Filipino home care workers: invisible frontline workers in the COVID-19 crisis in the United States. Am Behav Sci. 2021; 65(10): 1365-83.
Chan CD, Litam SDA. Mental health equity of Filipino communities in COVID-19: a framework for practice and advocacy. Prof Couns. 2021; 11(1): 73-85.
Delos Reyes RC. Burnout among Filipino occupational therapists: a mixed methods analysis. Open J Occup Ther. 2018 Oct 1; 6(4).
Creswell J. Research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. 4th Ed. London: SAGE; 2014. SAGE; 2014. pp. 7-8.
Braun V, Clarke V. Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qual Res Psychol. 2006; 3(2): 77-101. doi: 10.1191/1478088706qp063oa.
Guba EG, Lincoln YS. Fourth generation evaluation. London: SAGE; 1989. pp. 233-6.
Shanafelt T, Ripp J, Trockel M. Understanding and addressing sources of anxiety among health care professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. JAMA. 2020; 323(21): 2133. doi: 10.1001/jama.2020.5893.
Khalid I, Khalid TJ, Qabajah MR, Barnard AG, Qushmaq IA. Healthcare workers emotions, perceived stressors and coping strategies during a MERS-CoV outbreak. Clin Med Res. 2016; 14(1): 7-14. doi: 10.3121/cmr.2016.1303.
Ing EB, Xu QA, Salimi A, Torun N. Physician deaths from corona virus (COVID-19) disease. Occup Med. 2020; 70(5): 370-4. doi: 10.1093/occmed/kqaa088.
Grajo L, Boisselle A, DaLomba E. Occupational Adaptation as a Construct: A Scoping Review of
Literature. Open J Occup Ther. 2018; 6(1). doi: 10.15453/2168-6408.1400.
Hammell KW. Engagement in living during the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing occupational disruption. Occup Ther Now. 2020; 22(4): 7-8.
Corpuz HMT, Sabordo LS V., Allanic NDE, Bulan PMP. The psychological well-being of emergency response personnel in the province of Cebu. World Fed Occup Ther Bull. 2019; 75(2): 105-11. doi: 10.1080/14473828.2019.1649350.
Xie W, Chen L, Feng F, Okoli CTC, Tang P, Zeng L, et al. The prevalence of compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue among nurses: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Nurs Stud. 2021; 120:
doi: 10.1016/J.IJNURSTU.2021.103973.
Sinclair S, Raffin-Bouchal S, Venturato L, MijovicKondejewski J, Smith-MacDonald L. Compassion fatigue: A meta-narrative review of the healthcare literature. Int J Nurs Stud. 2017; 69: 9-24. doi: 10.1016/J.IJNURSTU.2017.01.003.
Schwanz KA, Paiva-Salisbury M. Before they crash and burn (out): a compassion fatigue resilience model. Journal of Wellness. 2022; 3(3). doi: 10.55504/2578- 9333.1100.