Burnout and Compassion Fatigue Among ICU Nurses: A Systematic Review of Predictors, Protective Factors and Workforce Retention Interventions.

For critical care nurses, unit leaders should prioritise ICU-specific structural prevention approaches including adequate nurse-to-patient staffing, workload and alarm-burden management, protected breaks and psychologically safe team culture. Access to timely peer support, debriefing after traumatic events and end-of-life care, and leadership practices that reduce moral distress (e.g., shared decision-making and ethics support) should be paired with evidence-informed well-being programmes tailored to the ICU context.