Aims and objectives: To interpret the body of qualitative work focusing on compassion fatigue to distil a common understanding that could then be applied to nursing care.Background: Complex demands place extraordinary stress on nurses struggling to work in overburdened healthcare systems. The result can be the inability to care well for others, leading to compassion fatigue, burnout and increased numbers leaving the profession. Metasynthesis offers a means of more fully illuminating compassion fatigue and further understanding of practices which might reduce its negative consequences.Design: Metasynthesis.Method: As a method designed to facilitate knowledge development, metasynthesis allowed for integration of qualitative study findings conducted between 1992–2016 using defined search terms. Six databases were searched for articles published in English. Nine papers met the criteria for review and metasynthesis was conducted using the meta‐ethnographic approach detailed by Noblit and Hare.Results: Four themes related to compassion fatigue were found by consensus discussion. The themes included: physical (“just plain worn out”) and emotional symptoms (“walking on a tightrope”), triggering factors (“an unbearable weight on shoulders” and “alone in a crowded room”), and measures to overcome/prevent (“who has my back?”).Conclusions: Compassion fatigue is a concept of documented relevance to those in nursing and represents a basic inability to nurture others and engenders a temporal component. Synthesis of studies provides evidence of the veracity of the concept for application to clinical practice and research related to nursing care.Relevance to clinical practice: Findings provide insight into the clinical milieu needed to prevent compassion fatigue. A theoretical model is presented which can be used to guide future research, as well as the creation of clinical practice policies which might mitigate the development of compassion fatigue and its potential consequences.

There is vast literature on transformative learning, which is an important aspect of nursing education, but its meaning remains unclear. It is therefore important to clarify the meaning of transformative learning, identify its attributes, antecedents and consequences to increase its use in nursing education, practice and research. Walker and Avant's method was used, and the process provided a structured way to analyse the concept of 'transformative learning'. Nursing education dictionaries, encyclopaedias, conference papers, research articles, dissertations, theses, journal articles, thesauri and relevant books through the database library and internet searches were reviewed. One hundred and two literature sources were reviewed, and data saturation was reached. The results of the concept analysis of transformative learning within the context of nursing education identified three categories, namely, 1)Antecedents as cognitive and affective perspective, democratic education principles and inspiration; 2)Process through three phases, namely i) awareness through self-reflection, ii) the meaningful interactive, integrative and democratic construction process, and iii) metacognitive reasoning abilities; and 3)Outcomes. A theoretical definition of transformative learning was formulated. Theoretical validity was ensured. The results of the concept analysis of transformative learning were used to describe a model to facilitate transformative learning within the context of nursing education.

Curationis provides a forum for cutting-edge theories and research models related to the exploration of issues experienced and the best practices of nurses and midwives so as to improve nursing education, nursing administration and community nursing within Africa.

BackgroundCaring forms the core component of nursing. The history of the nature of caring in South Africa is non-specific and is unknown. The impact of nurse and activist Albertina Sisulu – known as the Mother of the Nation – has the potential to offer unique insights into what could be the context of caring for nurses.AimsThe study aimed at 1) critically synthesising the available evidence of caring as portrayed by Albertina Sisulu within the South African context, and 2) interpreting Sisulu's work within the Ubuntu philosophy as a framework for nursing and caring.MethodAn integrative review was completed using Whittemore and Knafl's framework. Key electronic databases, selected references and web-based search engines were scoured for articles meeting the inclusion criteria. This systematic and iterative approach yielded 18 non-research reports related to Sisulu; eight reports (three research, five non-research) related to ubuntu and nursing. Data was extracted that related to relevant and conclusive new and innovative practices in caring.ResultsThe findings provided a context for practice guidelines of caring concerning knowledge and critical thinking about caring by nurses. Two primary factors emerged that demonstrated a culture of caring as seen through the prism of Sisulu's life: devoted dancer and creation of a healing environment. These factors also reflect African ubuntu principles, where the focus is on the relationships between people and how these relationships could be conducted.ConclusionsUbuntu and Sisulu's approach to caring have much to offer for the nursing profession in terms of developing of new directions for nursing pedagogy, curriculum, practice patterns, and policies that emphasise caring constructs

The purpose of this study was to explore, describe and illuminate nursing students’ best encounters of caring in the clinical learning environment. Caring for nursing students was emphasized and recommendations provided to enhance caring for nursing students within their clinical learning environment. Qualitative data was collected by the researcher using semi-structured individual interviews and an Appreciative Inquiry (AI) methodology. Ten second year nursing students undertaking the bridging course leading to registration as general nurses in terms of Regulation 683 of the South African Nursing Council (SANC) were purposively sampled from 3 private hospitals within the Western Cape. Data was analysed using Giorgi’s method. The main theme included the best and ‘least best’ caring practices embedded in the centrality of the heart. The subthemes comprised of the nursing students’ experiences of caring literacy and caring illiteracy. The second theme included the creation of best caring practices within a conducive clinical learning environment. Within this theme, the subthemes comprised of the caring attributes required in reflecting best caring practices, as well the creation of a clinical learning environment to optimise caring. The significance and necessity of caring for the nursing student were clearly illustrated and confirmed by participants. Caring was equated to the heart as the core to the nursing students’ being. Recommendations for nursing education, management, practice and research were therefore specifically formulated to enhance caring towards nursing students.

Self‐care is essential, but while professional nurses often pay attention to the health of their patients, they give little heed to their own well‐being. With the current pandemic continuing to negatively affect the world, the need for health professionals to make time for self‐care is imperative. The concept “self‐care” is not a new phenomenon; however, this study strives to show the importance of self‐care practices in the world of nurses and its benefit for the nursing profession. The reality for nurses taking care of themselves will assist them in providing consistent quality care for their patients. A qualitative approach with a descriptive, phenomenological, contextual method was used in this study. Ten professional nurses employed within different primary healthcare clinics were selected through purposeful sampling. Through in‐depth, individual interviews, the professional nurses shared their lived experiences with self‐care practices while being employed within a primary healthcare clinic. The recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim and then analyzed using Colaizzi's method. The findings revealed: Theme 1: Participants experienced internal and external factors that compromised self‐care practices Theme 2: Holistic well‐being and the quality of patient care are compromised by self‐care neglect Theme 3: Participants experienced the need to take responsibility and accountability to promote self‐care practices. Specific recommendations were formulated to facilitate professional nurses' empowerment to practise self‐care as a lifestyle. These specific recommendations focused on reducing the burden of caring for others to the extent that professional nurses working in primary healthcare settings have nothing left for themselves.