Balancing Compassion and Self‐Care
Insights From Palliative Care Professionals and Volunteers
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6426934 |
|---|---|
| Authors | María Elena Cuartero Castañer (0000-0002-9510-8721), José Francisco Campos Vidal (0000-0003-1076-6635), Paula Hidalgo-Andrade (0000-0003-1797-3258), Katty Lozano-Montesdeoca (0000-0002-8922-9279), Patricia Bonilla Sierra (0000-0003-4782-523X) |
| Editors | Sohini Basu Roy |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 2025 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication date | 2025-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Health & Social Care in the Community (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0966-0410 • E-ISSN: 1365-2524 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1155/hsc/5874963 |
| OpenAlex | W4409465797 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 45 |
Working in palliative care is both an exhausting and an enriching experience. Self‐care is vital because it protects against the risk of developing burnout and predicts higher quality of life levels. Self‐care is a shared responsibility between the individuals and their contexts. This qualitative study aimed to understand the self‐care practices of Ecuadorian palliative care teams and design a self‐care self‐planning tool for local volunteers, students, and professionals. A total of 71 individuals participated in 10 focus groups in four cities in Ecuador. Data were analyzed through thematic analysis. The results provide a comprehensive overview of the self‐care strategies employed by palliative care professionals, volunteers, and students who have concluded internships within the field. These strategies could serve as mechanisms to manage complex situations and promote healthy and satisfactory scenarios. Results indicate a low self‐care practice in the personal and professional realms. With that in mind, the results were divided into two main themes. For personal self‐care, participants referred to the importance of spirituality and biological, psychological, and social aspects of self‐care. On the other hand, for self‐care at work, people emphasized the importance of support, professional development, making time for self‐analysis, and managing workload. Developing practical approaches requires a holistic perspective that considers contexts, overcomes barriers, and promotes practices that support professionals’ physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well‐being. Using the insight from the results, we provide a tool to facilitate personalized self‐care planning
Burnout · Compassion · Compassion fatigue · Health care · Palliative care · Political science · Self care · Family and Patient Care in Intensive Care Units · Medicine · Nursing · Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues · Psychology · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology · Clinical Psychology
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |