Determining the compassion fatigue and exposure to violence among emergency department workers

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Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the level of exposure to violence and compassion fatigue experienced by healthcare workers in the emergency department.Materials and Method: This descriptive study was conducted at a teaching and research hospital between 20 and 30 June 2025. A total of 147 healthcare workers from the emergency department were included in the study. Data were collected using a sociodemographic information form and the Compassion Fatigue Short Scale.Results: 95.9% of participants reported being exposed to verbal abuse, 33.3% to physical abuse, and 89.8% to psychological abuse. Verbal abuse was most commonly perpetrated by relatives of patients (97.9%) and patients themselves (78.6%). The average compassion fatigue score was 63.12 ± 27.13, the secondary trauma subscale score was 22.18 ± 10.91, and the occupational burnout subscale score was 40.93 ± 17.69. Women scored higher on the secondary trauma subscale (p