Compassion fatigue, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress prevention in OTPs

Occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) strive to promote occupational balance and engagement for all clients. One would hope practitioners apply these principles to their own lives to ensure their wellness; however, according to Lambdin-Pattavina et al. (2022), at least 77.4% of OTPs have reported compassion fatigue (CF), the combination of burnout and secondary traumatic stress (STS). Further, a minimum of 71% of OTPs have experienced burnout, and increased prevalence for practitioners is in the early and middle stages of their careers (Lambdin-Pattavina et al., 2022). STS is considered common among medical professionals, but its prevalence among OTPs specifically is currently unknown (Ogińska-Bulik et al., 2021).