Compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction and mindfulness among healthcare professionals: A meta-analysis of correlational studies and randomized controlled trials

Background: Compassion fatigue is a pressing concern for healthcare professionals, impacting their well-being and the quality of service they deliver to service users. Mindfulness has emerged as a potential strategy to mitigate compassion fatigue among healthcare professionals. This meta-analysis aims to investigate the correlation between mindfulness and compassion fatigue/compassion satisfaction and the effect of mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) on compassion fatigue/compassion satisfaction. Method: 7568 papers were identified through a systematic search in ProQuest, Web of Science, PsycINFO, Embase, and MEDLINE. 78 correlational studies and 29 randomized controlled trials were screened-in for analysis. Study quality and data were coded for analysis. Results: Significant moderate negative correlation between mindfulness and compassion fatigue was found. Significant moderate positive correlation was also observed between mindfulness and compassion satisfaction. Older healthcare professionals and professionals working in non-acute settings were found to have stronger correlations between mindfulness and compassion satisfaction. From randomized controlled trial studies of MBI, moderate effect size was found for compassion fatigue, and small effect size was found for compassion satisfaction. Effects were found to be similar across settings. Conclusions: This meta-analysis is the first synthesis of the relationship between compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction with mindfulness, as well as the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions on these two variables among healthcare professionals. Future studies could consider investigating mediators of mindfulness-based interventions to understand possible mechanisms.