Does the COVID-19 Pandemic Have an Impact on Compassion Fatigue among Midwives?

Abstract

Professional health services have been key in the recovery of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Health professionals have been in a great effort to meet the care needs of patients despite experiencing a high emotional burden for reasons such as unknown treatment of the disease, high contagiousness, changing working systems, increased workload, and the need to wear protective equipment. The unknown effects of the virus on the health of mothers and babies increased the concerns of midwives helping families in the core of society, which are the most intimate areas, regarding the risk of infection. Midwives had to manage an exhausting process similar to the one experienced by nurses, when they continued providing secondary health services such as immunization, antenatal care, and follow-ups. They are among the health professionals forced to work under highly adverse conditions, such as increased duties and responsibilities in the pandemic, and cancellation of leaves. It is reported that midwives, who are forced to work outside their field of duty due to the pandemic, are highly likely to experience compassion fatigue and to have a low level of life quality as well as professional belonging. Qualitative studies conducted with midwives working in the delivery room reported that midwives in delivery rooms experience compassion fatigue, adopt the concept of compassion fatigue, come up with their own solutions or receive psychological support to deal with compassion fatigue, and that they suggested that psychological support needs be provided by the state. As a result, many mothers and pregnant women lost their lives in this ongoing pandemic process. Alike, many health professionals lost their lives due to the epidemic. Midwives are one of these health professionals. The feeling of helplessness at the beginning of the pandemic, the unknowns about its treatment made the working conditions even more difficult. Considering these, it is reasonable to argue that midwives have been likely to experience compassion fatigue.