A cross-sectional survey on compassion fatigue among emergency department nurses in Grade A tertiary hospitals in western China

The research used a cross-sectional type of survey design that comprised 31 tertiary hospitals throughout 12 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities of Western China. An online survey was administered to the registered nurses of the ED of the above-mentioned hospitals during the period between May 30 and October 30, 2025.

The inclusion criteria were: (a) registered nurses working in the ED at the time of the survey; (b) a minimum of one year of full-time work in the ED; and (c) volunteerism with written informed consent. The exclusion criteria were: (a) individuals who had previously received compassion fatigue assessment, intervention, or related training; and (b) individuals who were not present on the day when data was collected because of their leave or other studies.Variable coding:Sex: Male = 0, Female = 1Education: Associate or below = 0, Bachelor’ s degree or above = 1Professional title: Nurse: Reference group; Staff nurse (dummy1): No = 0, Yes = 1; Charge nurse (dummy2): No = 0, Yes = 1; Associate chief nurse or above (dummy3): No = 0, Yes = 1Employment type: Permanent staff = 0, Contract staff = 1Marital status: Unmarried = 0, Married = 1Having children: No = 0, Yes = 1Drink: No = 0, Yes = 1Chronic pain: No = 0, Yes = 1Insomnia frequency: Rarely = 1, Sometimes = 2, Frequently = 3Exercise frequency: Rarely = 1, Sometimes = 2, Frequently = 3Conflict frequency: Rarely = 1, Sometimes = 2, Frequently = 3Job satisfaction: Very dissatisfied = 1, Dissatisfied = 2, Normal = 3, Satisfied = 4, Very satisfied = 5Compassion fatigue (CF): None = 0, Mild = 1, Moderate = 2, Severe = 3Note: There are discrepancies between some variable names in the data table and their official names.