Without a prescription, nurses provide comfort, compassion, and care. It is because nurses are always present when the final breath is taken and present when the first breath is taken, and what nursing must accomplish in both cases is to prepare the patient for nature’s intervention. Emotional burnout occurs when your body has been exposed to a lot of stress that it can no longer cope with. It mainly affects the nurses in our hospitals due to the heavy and tedious work suffering high-stress levels and fast-paced atmosphere. . Clinical nurse burnout is a terrible occurrence that manifests as emotional exhaustion, a lack of enthusiasm, feelings of dissatisfaction, and a decline in work efficacy in nurses.
Nurse burnout has become even more of danger among healthcare practitioners in these times. Long shifts, pressure to make quick judgments, and caring for patients who may have bad outcomes are all stressors that can lead to burnout (Njume, 2020). Burnout can indirectly affect patients cared for by nurses, as there is a correlation between nurse burnout and an increased chance of infections in patients, due to this majority of patients suffering as a result of the nurses’ lack of focus and keenness when treating them (Jun et al., 2021). Hospitals with high burnout rates often have worse overall patient satisfaction, and as a result of the increasing nurse absence and rapid turnover, the quality of treatment suffers.
Long work hours are another leading cause of nurse burnout in our hospitals. The demand for nurses has risen in tandem with the growth of chronic diseases. Registered nurses’ profession has increased dramatically in recent years due to increased demand. Many hospitals, however, have been unable to satisfy the increased demand for nurses, forcing many nurses to work even longer shifts and raising their risk of burnout. Nevertheless, working in a stressful environment causes nurse burnout, as these environments cause nurses to experience high-stress levels. Working in an emergency room or critical care units, for example, can involve dealing with difficult patients, serious injuries, and high mortality rates. In 2018, 30% of oncology nurses reported experiencing emotional exhaustion, a common burnout symptom. (Molina-Praena et al., 2018). These situations can lead to significant levels of stress and burnout.
A chronic lack of sleep is one of the most major burnout hazards for employees in any industry. Sleep deprivation is frequent among nurses because they work long shifts and hours. Consecutive shifts have resulted in the nurses not getting adequate sleep and rest, causing them to perform poorly in jobs that involve attentiveness, decision-making, and memory planning. In 2018, 25% of nurses said they could not get enough sleep in the hours between shifts (Baek et al., 2020). Nurse burnout is caused by emotional strain from patient care. One of the most satisfying components of nursing is caring for patients, which is typically a key incentive for entering the field.
Nurses experience compassion fatigue and burnout as a result of these emotional setbacks. Nurses who care for many patients in a healthcare setting are also at a higher risk of burnout. Burnout is also more common in a company that lacks collaboration and coordination. Nurse burnout and even medical errors can occur when there is disagreement, bad communication, a lack of support, or peer bullying in the workplace. Nurse burnout can cause many health problems for the affected nurse and their patients if it is not adequately handled. Constant weariness, feeling overworked or underappreciated, a lack of excitement for work, emotional exhaustion, and illness are signs of nursing burnout.
A constantly fatigued nurse may go to bed exhausted and feel tired when waking up. Finding the energy to exercise and spend time with friends and family can often be complex. Nurses burned out may experience significant physical tiredness, drowsiness at work, and an inability to catch up on sleep. This type of exhaustion is more severe than the fatigue that many nurses experience due to working long shifts (Yu et al., 2019). Nurses who experience burnout may feel overworked and undervalued. These emotions can lead to resentment and irritation, which is unhealthy for nurses and patients.
Nurses burned out may detest from going to work and only think about getting home once they get. This distraction can lead to a loss of concentration on patient care, lowering the overall level of care provided to the patient (Methangkool et al., 2019). Nurses lose compassion due to the emotional stress they face, as well as the pain and suffering them witness. Detachment from patients, cynicism about their job, and emotions of failure at work are possible symptoms. Nurses may have natural worry about patients and the possibility of making several errors. When coping with simple adjustments, a nurse suffering from this anxiety may feel overwhelmed.
Finding measures to decrease nurse burnout is critical in hospitals for nurses. There are workplace burnout prevention methods that institutions should implement and strategies that nurses can use to help lower their risk of burnout. Enhancing the meaning of work is one of the workplace preventive techniques. Supervisors should emphasize their contributions by praising and acknowledging them, which boosts their sense of value pushing them to work hard. To develop opportunities, supervisors should encourage nurses to express their thoughts and make work-related choices.
Nurses can protect themselves from burnout by implementing personal preventive measures. Cultivating close relationships at work can mitigate nurse burnout where they can talk about their emotional discomfort in these safe connections. When coping with high-stress situations, balancing work and personal life might be advantageous and developing nurse boundaries, can avoid nurse burnout. Nurses should leave work-related concerns at work and concentrate on their personal life. Getting enough sleep is also critical for nurses who want to avoid burnout. Nurses’ sleep schedules may need to be adjusted to ensure they obtain at least eight hours of sleep each day as these adequate sleep improves concentration at work.
Stress can be reduced by maintaining physical and mental energy through frequent exercise and a nutritious, well-balanced diet. Nurses must also take time out to exercise and rest when necessary in order to prioritize their mental health, avoid burnout, and stay productive at work. Physical activity is beneficial to general health, and nurses who exercise are more likely to reap the benefits of good health, such as fewer sick days and increased workplace loyalty. It is critical that they use counseling and assistance programs to control their mental energy. Nurses should utilize any psychological and counseling services provided by their institution.
Physical diseases, such as a compromised immune system, persistent discomfort, and heart palpitations, can result from nurse burnout. These conditions might emerge as an increased susceptibility to viruses, frequent diarrhea and constipation, inexplicable aches and pains, or even cardiac problems. Nurse burnout can lead to a number of potentially harmful outcomes. These threats influence the burnt-out nurse, her coworkers, the hospitals where she works, and the health of her patients. High turnover, poor service quality, and even fatality are all risks. Increased turnover can put additional strain on other nurses and hospital staff. The added stress that staff members are under can affect the quality of care that patients receive. The most serious risk connected with nursing burnout is a reduction in the quality of patient care.
In conclusion, given the emotional strain and harsh work environment of caring for sick or dying patients, health care professionals are widely considered one of the highest-risk categories for burnout. Nurses have higher levels of burnout, which leads to lower productivity. As a result, healthcare facilities should investigate methods to avoid and reduce burnout among nurses. These initiatives will result in increased hospital productivity and effectiveness.
References
Baek, J., Huh, I., & Choi-Kwon, S. (2020). Association between health problems and turnover intention in shift work nurses: Health problem clustering. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(12), 4532.
Jun, J., Ojemeni, M. M., Kalamani, R., Tong, J., & Crecelius, M. L. (2021). Relationship between nurse burnout, patient and organizational outcomes: systematic review. International journal of nursing studies, 119, 103933.
Methangkool, E., Tollinche, L., Sparling, J., & Agarwala, A. V. (2019). Communication: is there a standard handover technique to transfer patient care? International anesthesiology clinics, 57(3), 35.
Molina-Praena, J., Ramirez-Baena, L., Gómez-Urquiza, J. L., Cañadas, G. R., & De la Fuente, E. I. (2018). Levels of burnout and risk factors in medical area nurses: A meta-analytic study. International journal of environmental research and public health, 15(12), 2800.
Njume, P. E. (2020). Assisting Psychiatric Nurses in Managing Work Stress and Decreasing Callouts and Absenteeism (Doctoral dissertation, Walden University).
Yu, F., Somerville, D., & King, A. (2019). Exploring the impact of 12-hour shifts on nurse fatigue in intensive care units. Applied Nursing Research, 50, 151191.
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