Compassion fatigue

Introduction: According to the North Dakota Cancer Coalition (2011), one out of two men and one out of three women will develop cancer in their lifetimes. Research estimates at least 10% of cancer patients do not receive effective relief of their cancer pain identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) three-step ladder guidelines, and an upwards to 30% of patients receive poor pain control, especially in their last year of life (Raphael et al., 2010). For patients with refractory cancer…