Are WE fit for the future? Self-care strategies to future-proof compassionate palliative care

Growing concerns about compassion fatigue and poor health in Australian nurses and doctors lead to consideration of self-care strategies as increasingly important. Yet very little is known about the utility or uptake of self-care practices in the palliative care workforce. Within the context of a broader mixed methods study exploring self-care and compassion in palliative care, this paper highlights the importance of self-care and effective self-care strategies reported by palliative care nurses and doctors in Australia. Over 300 Australian nurses and doctors completed a questionnaire distributed via the Australian and New Zealand Society of Palliative Medicine, Palliative Care Nurses Australia, and the National Palliative Care Service Directory. The questionnaire asked about the perceived importance of self-care, uptake of self-care planning, and the nature of effective self-care strategies used. Content analysis was used to identify domains of self-care. Nearly all respondents regarded self-care as important to their practice. A variety of self-care strategies were reported, spanning multiple domains. Uptake of self-care planning was low, but most respondents reported they would consider using self-care plans if supported to do so. This is the first study of its kind to explore self-care in the Australian palliative care workforce. These findings will inform the development of a self-care toolkit to support palliative care teams and their compassionate care for patients.