Abstract
This research aimed to explore nurse burnout and its potential negative impact on nurses and patients in a clinical or healthcare environment in the United States of America. One of the research publications in the American Society hinted that approximately 100,000 registered nurses left the nursing workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic. Such an occurrence signified a problem in the nursing field and this was nurse burnout. The research study employed secondary sources of information to attain a reliable conclusion. As such, it utilized search engines including Google Scholar, PubMed, websites and Academic Search Complete where articles can be drawn to support the research argument. From this research, the results showed that nurse burnout was caused by many factors high workload, type of shift worked, low control over the job, poor social climate and support, low rewards high psychological demands, inadequate staffing of nurses, time pressure, poor leadership, nurse-physician relationship and role conflicts. As a result, the negative impact on nurses was deteriorated mental and physical health and high nurse turnover while the impacts on patients were low-quality care and a decline in patient care. The study found the Maslach Burnout Inventory with SBAR communication and a mindfulness-based program as suitable mechanisms and strategies to prevent the nurse burnout issue. Hence, the research study concluded with a need for collaborative efforts within the healthcare sector to prevent and combat nurse healthcare and thus protect the well-being of both nurses and patients.
Approximately 100,000 registered nurses in the United States of America left the workforce during the pandemic and in the year 2022. In an article paper by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (2023), the cause for employment exit by these registered nurses was mainly stress, burnout and retirement. This was when the world faced the Covid-19 pandemic and nurses were pivotal in fighting the pandemic. As a result, this challenge tends to impact healthcare through a decline in patient care and protection. Nurse burnout significantly affects nurses and patients, leading to a net negative effect on the nursing future in the United States. Thus, this paper explores nurse burnout and its potential negative impact on nurses and their patients in a clinical or healthcare environment.
Literature Review
Nurses are important stakeholders in the healthcare environment providing nursing services to patients and watching them recover to their healthy state. However, their performance hitch due to cases of burnout and other mental and physical hindrances that can result in a negative impact on patients, patient care and patient safety. Key areas or parameters researched in this paper will comprise nurse burnout, its impact on nurses, patients and prevention. The search sites utilized in this research include Google Scholar, PubMed, websites and Academic Search Complete where articles can be drawn to support the research argument. Thus, this literature review explores existing information on nurse burnout and its impact on nurses and patients.
Literature Review
Nurse burnout is a condition that is prevalent in healthcare systems in the United States of America. Its causes are related to the nature of the job as the nursing job is characterized by long shifts, long working hours and pressure from patients and families. According to the American Nurse Association (2023), nurse burnout is a job-related condition with major and adverse conditions for nurses and patients. The review by the American Nurse Association (2023) established that nurse burnout is experienced by 62% of nurses with the majority being the younger ones in the field. Thus, this association recommended psychological and physical well-being to stabilize the condition and create a favourable working environment for nurses.
The causes of nurse burnout vary depending on the healthcare environment in which the nurse(s) is/are working. A study by Dall’Ora, et.al. (2020), stated high workload, low control over the job, poor social climate and support and low rewards as some of the causes of burnout in many hospitals. As a result, nurse burnout leads to high nurse turnover, absence from work and the general effect on the health of nurses. Further, Dall’Ora, et.al. (2020) note that high psychological demands, inadequate staffing of nurses, time pressure, poor leadership, nurse-physician relationships and role conflicts as other causes of nurse burnout. According to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (2023), heavy workloads and psychological demands trigger nurse burnout. Hence, these studies have confirmed that nurse burnout stems from a specific cause or a mix of unfavourable factors.
When nurses experience burnout, they not only their health and safety but also that of their patients. In a study by Jun et al. (2021), nurse burnout affects all stakeholders in the healthcare environment including nurses, physicians, patients, healthcare organizations and society at large. In a review of McKinsey & Company’s (2023) findings, mental health is a negative effect that nurses encounter when in burnout. Hence, nurse burnout results in a negative impact on nurses, patients and other healthcare stakeholders.
Workload and shift work have been ruled out as the major causes of nurse burnout. A study by Vargas-Benítez, et.al. (2023) validates these points by asserting that high workload and type of shift worked led to burnout of nurses. For instance, a nurse working 24 hours a day would be stressed and fatigued as they do not see their families and friends. Therefore, this source demonstrates a need for action in remedying nurse burnout and restoring a favourable work environment.
Nurse burnout can lead to a decline in the performance of a healthcare organization and staff turnover. When nurses are fatigued, they experience burnout and can find alternative ways to earn and move on with their lives. According to Kelly, et.al. (2021), nurse burnout in the studied sample led to organizational turnover and nurses in each unit left at a rate of 12%. Thus, the burnout condition is not favourable for both nurse staff and healthcare organizations.
Healthcare organizations can develop or adopt strategies and mechanisms that can reduce or eliminate nurse burnout. A study by Lee & Cha (2023) proposes a mindfulness-based program to solve the nurse burnout menace in the healthcare sector. Such a program can be coupled with services such as therapy and counselling to help nurses. As a result, helping nurses is a great way to help patients and enhance patient safety.
The prevention of nurse burnout is fundamental to attaining efficiency in healthcare delivery. Maslach Burnout Inventory with SBAR communication is another mechanism through which hospitals can measure nurses’ workloads, assess emotional exhaustion and guide on shift assignments (Richemond, et.al, 2022). Going by this mechanism, it would be easy to guide on planning nurse shifts and other work schedules. Hence, it relieves them from burnout and contributes to their well-being, productivity and improved patient safety.
Discussion
This research paper aimed to explore nurse burnout and its potential negative impact on nurses and their patients in a clinical or healthcare environment. In the research, a secondary approach to research was utilized where the research explored existing data and secondary information from credible search sites such as Google Scholar, PubMed, websites and Academic Search Complete. Such an exploration was vitally important in understanding how nurse burnout significantly affects nurses and patients, and potentially leads to a net negative effect on the nursing future in the United States. Thus, the results from the literature review demonstrated that nurse burnout is a serious condition that can lead to low nurse productivity, nurse turnover, nurse mental and physical healthcare challenges and affects patients as nurses tend to provide low-quality care in such a situation.
The study established several factors as contributory to the nurse burnout condition. Such factors include long working hours, type of shift worked, heavy workloads, high psychological demands, inadequate staffing of nurses, time pressure, poor leadership, nurse-physician relationship and role conflicts (Dall’Ora, et.al, 2020; Vargas-Benítez, et.al, 2023; U.S Department of Veteran Affairs, 2023). These and many other factors can motivate nurses’ absence from work and increase nurse turnover. For example, a nurse who has worked throughout the COVID-19 pandemic may not want to go back to work due to fatigue and probably the mental trauma due to the deaths they witnessed. Hence, the resultant effects when nurses are in a burnout condition are many including low-quality care and non-assurance to patient safety.
Lastly, the research looked into the need for addressing this healthcare issue as it raises much concern. As such, the research study through the literature review identified Maslach Burnout Inventory with SBAR communication and a mindfulness-based program (Richemond, et.al, 2022; Lee & Cha, 2023). This prevention can be coupled with therapy and counselling services to help nurses recover from burnout. Further, the research established that the mechanisms would assist with work schedules, shifts and workloads to relieve nurses in their busy schedules. As a result, hospitals would end up attaining higher productivity from their workforce and improve care delivery.
Conclusion
In this research, the information obtained from past studies has provided solid evidence that nurse burnout has quite significant negative effects on nurses and patients. It has different causes among them heavy workloads, long working hours, type of shift worked, psychological demands and others. As a result, involved nurses tend to suffer from mental illnesses and deteriorate in their physical care. The research study has demonstrated that many nurses quit the nursing profession and venture into other fields to avoid burnout. As such, this in turn has a net negative effect on patients as quality of care is affected and the overall patient safety declines. Thus, nurse burnout is indeed a condition that exists and needs to be prevented through various collaborative mechanisms, strategies and programs to enhance the future of nursing in the United States of American and the entire world.
References
American Nurse Association (2023). What is Nurse Burnout? How to Prevent it. Available at: http://tinyurl.com/4bcu2nz7
Dall’Ora, C., Ball, J., Reinius, M., & Griffiths, P. (2020). Burnout in nursing: a theoretical review. Human resources for health, 18, 1-17.
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.
Kelly, L. A., Gee, P. M., & Butler, R. J. (2021). Impact of nurse burnout on organizational and position turnover. Nursing outlook, 69(1), 96-102.
Lee, M., & Cha, C. (2023). Interventions to reduce burnout among clinical nurses: systematic review and meta-analysis. Scientific Reports, 13(1), 10971.
McKinsey & Company (2023). Understanding and prioritizing nurses’ mental health and well-being. Available at: http://tinyurl.com/muv7kkpt
National Council of State Boards of Nursing. (2023). NCSBN research projects significant nursing workforce shortages and crisis.
Richemond, D., Needham, M., & Jean, K. (2022). The Effects of Nurse Burnout on Patient Experiences. Open Journal of Business and Management, 10(5), 2805-2828.
U.S Department of Veteran Affairs (2023). VA Nurse Burnout and Patient Safety Outcomes. Available at: http://tinyurl.com/3vmx8fsr
Vargas-Benítez, M. Á., Izquierdo-Espín, F. J., Castro-Martínez, N., Gómez-Urquiza, J. L., Albendín-García, L., Velando-Soriano, A., & Cañadas-De la Fuente, G. A. (2023). Burnout syndrome and work engagement in nursing staff: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Medicine, 10.
Annotated Bibliography
American Nurse Association (2023). What is Nurse Burnout? How to Prevent it. Available at: http://tinyurl.com/4bcu2nz7
The website is precisely the American Nurse Association website, addressing what nurse burnout entails. Further, it details how nurse burnout can be prevented. According to the American Nurse Association (2023), “nurse burnout is a serious job-related condition that has major consequences for nurses and their patients”. Therefore, this website shows nurse burnout is unsuitable for nurses and their patients.
Dall’Ora, C., Ball, J., Reinius, M., & Griffiths, P. (2020). Burnout in nursing: a theoretical review. Human resources for health, 18, 1-17.
This article examined the association between nurse burnout and work-related factors in the nursing workforce. The paper identified high workload, low control over the job, poor social climate and support and low rewards as critical predictors of burnout. According to Dall’Ora, Ball, Reinius & Griffiths (2020), their study noted the effects of burnout to include turnover, absence due to sickness and the general health of nurses. Therefore, the study article shows a close association between nurse burnout and poor healthcare delivery.
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.
As per the title of this article, it seeks to examine the relationship between nurse burnout and patient and organizational outcomes. If nurses experience burnout, there would be negative results on patients’ experiences and the overall outcomes of a healthcare organization. According to Jun et al. (2021), “the organizational-related outcomes associated with nurse burnout comprised of quality of care, safety of patients, productivity of nurses, patient satisfaction and nurses commitment to an organization.
Kelly, L. A., Gee, P. M., & Butler, R. J. (2021). Impact of nurse burnout on organizational and position turnover. Nursing outlook, 69(1), 96-102.
This study examines an essential aspect of nurse burnout: organizational and position burnout. It is always a common trend that when people experience pressure, stress and a threat to their mental health at a workplace, they quit the job and find something else to do. Hence, this is not different with the healthcare nurses as they leave their jobs and venture into other fields.
Lee, M., & Cha, C. (2023). Interventions to reduce burnout among clinical nurses: systematic review and meta-analysis. Scientific Reports, 13(1), 10971.
As much as this paper will look at nurse burnout and its impact on nurses and patients, it also needs to look into interventions to reduce or eliminate burnout. We have seen that nurse burnout is already hazardous to the nurse and other healthcare stakeholders such as patients, healthcare organizations, physicians and the society at large. Therefore, this study suggests that interventions help reduce burnout and, specifically, the emotional exhaustion that is likely to affect nurses’ productivity.
McKinsey & Company (2023). Understanding and prioritizing nurses’ mental health and well-being. Available at: http://tinyurl.com/muv7kkpt
This website explored an understanding and prioritizing nurses’ mental health and well-being. Mental health is the ultimate product of burnout, based on this website’s storyline prediction. According to McKinsey & Company (2023), “more than half of the surveyed nurses in the United States reported symptoms of burnout”.
Richemond, D., Needham, M., & Jean, K. (2022). The Effects of Nurse Burnout on Patient Experiences. Open Journal of Business and Management, 10(5), 2805-2828.
In this article, the authors sought to examine the effects of nurse burnout on patient experiences. It explored strategies that healthcare leaders can adopt to address emotional exhaustion, lack of fulfilment, and the depersonalization of nurse burnout. Richemond, Needham & Jean (2022) their study asserted that “continued nurse burnout resulted from long shifts on most days of the week and fatigue since nurses lacked rest in their employment.
U.S Department of Veteran Affairs (2023). VA Nurse Burnout and Patient Safety Outcomes. Available at: http://tinyurl.com/3vmx8fsr
The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs’ website addressed nurse burnout and patient safety outcomes. It looks into the consequences of nurse burnout on the safety of patients, as it is expected that nurses’ failure due to fatigue, heavy workloads and psychological demands could lead to poor quality and put patients’ care at risk. According to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (2023), workforce burnout is one aspect of the healthcare workforce that has not been addressed adequately.
Vargas-Benítez, M. Á., Izquierdo-Espín, F. J., Castro-Martínez, N., Gómez-Urquiza, J. L., Albendín-García, L., Velando-Soriano, A., & Cañadas-De la Fuente, G. A. (2023). Burnout syndrome and work engagement in nursing staff: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Medicine, 10.
The background of this study validates that a complex and strenuous work environment in the healthcare sector can lead to fatigue, distress, anxiety and discomfort. According to Vargas-Benítez et al. (2023), the factors of high workload and type of shift worked were critical elements that contributed to nurse burnout. In all other studies, workload has been established as a lead factor in contributing to nurse burnout.
write