University of Louisville
The Impact of Receiving Reiki on Nurses Compassion Fatigue and Compassion Satisfaction
Institution
University of Louisville
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
Barbara Polivka
Abstract
Chronic stress in nursing impacts the quality of patient care and employee satisfaction. Compassion fatigue, which includes burnout and secondary traumatic stress (STS), is manifested by physical, emotional, and spiritual depletion when caring for patients. Compassion satisfaction (CS) is a positive feeling of being able to care for others. To address compassion fatigue, a metropolitan hospital implemented a “Snack and Relax®” (S&R) program that provides healthy snacks and holistic modalities (i.e. Reiki–light touch therapy) to staff for relaxation and stress relief. This study explored: (1) the prevalence of CS, burnout (BO), and STS for nurses who participated in S&R, and (2) differences in CS, burnout, and STS based on receiving Reiki? Participants in this hospital-wide cross-sectional survey completed the Professional Quality of Life Scale, a reliable and valid scale measuring CS, BO, and STS. Forty-four (28%) of the 158 respondents participated in S&R. Snack and Relax participants were primarily staff nurses, female, Caucasian, 40-55 years old, with 20 or more years of experience. For nurses who attended S&R, 16% reported high CS scores; however 32% reported high BO scores and 27% had high STS scores. Twenty-five (57%) received Reiki during their S&R session. Burnout scores were significantly greater for those who received Reiki. There were no significant differences in CS or STS. Nurses participating in S&R reported more burnout and STS than CS. Nurses with greater levels of burnout may seek out Reiki as a relaxation modality. Efforts are needed to increase S&R participation and longitudinally evaluate its impact.
The Impact of Receiving Reiki on Nurses Compassion Fatigue and Compassion Satisfaction
Chronic stress in nursing impacts the quality of patient care and employee satisfaction. Compassion fatigue, which includes burnout and secondary traumatic stress (STS), is manifested by physical, emotional, and spiritual depletion when caring for patients. Compassion satisfaction (CS) is a positive feeling of being able to care for others. To address compassion fatigue, a metropolitan hospital implemented a “Snack and Relax®” (S&R) program that provides healthy snacks and holistic modalities (i.e. Reiki–light touch therapy) to staff for relaxation and stress relief. This study explored: (1) the prevalence of CS, burnout (BO), and STS for nurses who participated in S&R, and (2) differences in CS, burnout, and STS based on receiving Reiki? Participants in this hospital-wide cross-sectional survey completed the Professional Quality of Life Scale, a reliable and valid scale measuring CS, BO, and STS. Forty-four (28%) of the 158 respondents participated in S&R. Snack and Relax participants were primarily staff nurses, female, Caucasian, 40-55 years old, with 20 or more years of experience. For nurses who attended S&R, 16% reported high CS scores; however 32% reported high BO scores and 27% had high STS scores. Twenty-five (57%) received Reiki during their S&R session. Burnout scores were significantly greater for those who received Reiki. There were no significant differences in CS or STS. Nurses participating in S&R reported more burnout and STS than CS. Nurses with greater levels of burnout may seek out Reiki as a relaxation modality. Efforts are needed to increase S&R participation and longitudinally evaluate its impact.