Balancing Compassion and Self-Care: Insights From Palliative Care Professionals and Volunteers

Abstract

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.