Who cares for the care-givers?
From the Wall Street Journal: Helping Nurses Cope With Compassion Fatigue
New programs are underway to help nurses cope with compassion fatigue, an occupational hazard for caregivers that also puts patients at risk of substandard care….
Though the intense emotional demands on nurses are as old as the profession itself, researchers have only in recent years begun to study the effects of compassion fatigue, a form of burnout compounded by secondary traumatic stress….
It’s good to see that this article discusses the impact of compassion fatigue not just on nurses, but also on patients. But of course, while impact on patient care is the ‘trump card’ of the world of healthcare, it shouldn’t be forgotten that institutions of all kinds have a fundamental obligation to safeguard the mental and emotional health of employees.
The Nursing Ethics Blog 
I agree that it is important to address the impact of compassion fatigue on nurses as well as patients. This is an important idea presented in this article. I also agree with your statement that it is the obligation of healthcare to safeguard their employees mental and emotional health. I do wonder if the onus of compassion fatigue should however remain primarily with the individual nurse.
Lombardo & Eyre suggest that “the nurse’s relationship with self is a core concept in managing compassion fatigue. Nurses need to be assertive, to express personal needs and values, and to view work-life balance as an achievable outcome. This relationship with self is essential for optimizing one’s health, for being empathic with others, and for being a productive member of a work group within a healthcare facility.” The nurse must actively strive to balance his/her professional and personal life in order to prevent compassion fatigue. I am not suggesting that the healthcare organizations have no role to play in offering assistance to staff with identification and resolution of compassion fatigue, but the primary responsibility must remain with each nurse.
Reference
Lombardo, B. & Eyre, C. (2011). Compassion fatigue: A nurse’s primer. Online journal of Issues in Nursing, 16(1).