Special Topic on Reducing Technology Related Stress and Burnout: Digital Compassion Fatigue as an Emerging Phenomenon for Registered Nurses Experiencing Techno-stress

Background: Registered nurses increasingly work in remote care and digital interaction roles, offering flexibility and expansion of their scope of practice. These roles may expose nurses to digital compassion fatigue, a phenomenon proposed to be characterized by the negative psychological and emotional impact of caring for patients remotely through the use technology. Objectives: The first objective of this work is to propose the phenomenon of “digital compassion fatigue” as a potentially further evolved and differentiated form of “compassion fatigue.” The second objective is to produce a comparative analysis of attributes, antecedents, and consequences through literature reviews. Methods: An evolutionary concept analysis approach was selected as a guide for this concept exploration and evaluation. Concept analysis has been used to identify, explore, and clarify concepts, particularly given the dynamic nature of technology and practice. The process of conducting a concept analysis includes consideration of diverse and multi-disciplinary perspectives. As a result, those in caring, educational, and/or support service roles (e.g., social work, counseling, teaching) for which distance suffering and techno-stress could feasibly be present were also included. Healthcare-specific often included nurses in the sample, but may not have differentiated their specific insights or data points in the results. Results: The concept analysis explored the attributes, antecedents, and consequences of digital compassion fatigue, differentiating it from its evolutionary parent, compassion fatigue. Key antecedents included techno-stress, distant suffering, and the unique challenges of delivering care remotely and digital interactions. A major confounding variable was the COVID-19 pandemic which may have heightened or introduced new technology related stressors or highlighted the existence of digital compassion fatigue. Conclusions: Further defining and understanding digital compassion fatigue is crucial for developing effective strategies to support nurses who may experience it or who are at risk.

Publication History

Received: 16 November 2024

Accepted after revision: 23 March 2025

Accepted Manuscript online:
24 March 2025