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Background <p>The 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.</p> Aim <p>To conceptually analyze DCF using Walker and Avant’s eight-step model and to identify its defining attributes, antecedents, consequences, and empirical referents.</p> Methods <p>A 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.</p> Findings <p>Digital 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.</p> Conclusion <p>Digital 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.</p>

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The silent strain beyond the screen: conceptualizing digital compassion fatigue in nursing

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2025年11月28日

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  • Ebtsam Aly Abou Hashish,
  • Hend Alnajjar

摘要

Background

The 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.

Aim

To conceptually analyze DCF using Walker and Avant’s eight-step model and to identify its defining attributes, antecedents, consequences, and empirical referents.

Methods

A 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.

Findings

Digital 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.

Conclusion

Digital 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.