Introduction
This literature review explores organizational support’s impact on nurses’ stress and burnout. Nursing is a demanding profession characterized by long working hours and high levels of responsibility, which sometimes exposes nurses to high levels of stress and burnout. Organizational support is a fundamental approach to mitigating the adverse effects of burnout and stress among nurses. The increasingly negative effects of stress and burnout on nurses and healthcare facilities, such as high turnover rates, diminished service quality, and heightened fatalities, underscore the significance of understanding the role of organizational support in supporting nurses. Recognizing the impact of organizational support in mitigating these challenges is crucial for promoting nurse well-being and enhancing healthcare organizations’ overall functioning and outcomes. The scope of this literature review encompasses analyzing the causes and impacts of burnout and stress on nurses and analyzing the implications and nature of organizational support on nurse burnout.
Body
According to Shah et al. (2021), burnout and stress among nurses are linked to high workload, exposure to emotionally challenging situations, organizational factors, and lack of social support. The constant pressure to provide quality care in a limited time frame, long operating hours, and inadequate staffing levels contribute to nurses’ burnout as they feel overwhelmed and unable to meet the job demands. The source Shah et al. (2021) provides valuable insights into the prevalence of nurse burnout in the US and associated factors. The study’s large sample size and rigorous methodology enhance its credibility.
Consequently, the study by Hetzel et al. (2019) highlights that poor organizational culture, ineffective communication, and inadequate support systems within healthcare organizations contribute to burnout and stress among nurses. Inefficient support systems, including limited resources and staffing, increase workload and heightened stress levels, resulting in burnout among nurses. Using primary data collected through online surveys and a comprehensive literature review by Hetzel et al. (2019), the source enhances its credibility in providing insights into the mediating role of work engagement and resiliency in buffering against burnout.
Burnout and stress, according to Maslach & Leiter (2016), adversely impact the physical health and emotional well-being of nurses, contribute to job dissatisfaction and high turnover rates, and decrease patient care quality. Burnout and chronic stress manifest in physical symptoms such as fatigue, sleep disturbances, headaches, gastrointestinal problems, and a weakened immune system. Nurses experiencing burnout and high stress develop health issues and chronic conditions (Hetzel et al., 2019). This study by Maslach & Leiter (2016) provides comprehensive research on the burnout experience and its implications for psychiatry. However, the source needs to be stronger as it primarily focuses on the impact on psychiatry, potentially limiting its generalizability to other healthcare settings.
Additionally, a study by Kamali et al. (2020) indicates that burnout and stress among nurses lead to emotional exhaustion, feelings of detachment, and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment. Burnout makes nurses experience increased levels of irritability, mood swings, anxiety, and depression. Emotional exhaustion diminishes nurses’ ability to provide empathetic and compassionate care to patients. This article by Kamali et al. (2020) effectively addresses the timely and relevant topic of burnout in a public health crisis. However, this source needs more detailed information on the study methodology and sample characteristics, impacting the effectiveness of its credibility.
Different organizational support plays a significant role in mitigating burnout and stress among nurses. According to Poghosyan et al. (2020), adequate staffing levels, provision of necessary resources and equipment, provision of emotional support programs, and enhancement of training and professional development services as key organizational factors helping to mitigate the adverse effects of burnout. Offering professional growth and development opportunities demonstrates organizational investment in nurses’ careers. Providing access to training programs, continuing education, and career advancement opportunities enhance nurses’ skills and promotes job satisfaction and engagement, mitigating burnout (Poghosyan et al., 2020). This study by Poghosyan et al. (2020) provides valuable insights into the importance of organizational support for NPs in primary care. The article’s strength relies on its effective use of the primary research method, a survey, with a significant number of participants for the study.
Adequate provision of organizational support directly correlates to reduced burnout, increased job satisfaction, improved mental health, and enhanced employee retention in healthcare facilities (Li et al., 2020). Nurses are likely to feel valued and respected when they experience organizational support. This increases job satisfaction, motivation, and engagement, resulting in a favorable work environment. Similarly, organizational practices that promote work-life balance, and provide counseling services, positively impact nurses’ mental health by lowering the risk of burnout and other mental health concerns (Li et al., 2020). This article by Li et al. (2020) effectively examines the relationship between perceived organizational support, job control, and job satisfaction among nurses. Likewise, using a quantitative research design and a large sample size enhances the generalizability of the findings of this study.
Conclusion
This literature review has examined organizational support’s impact on nurses’ stress and burnout. The findings indicate that organizational support directly correlates to reduced stress and burnout levels among nurses, leading to improved job satisfaction and overall well-being. However, gaps exist in the literature, for instance, the need for in-depth research on specific types of organizational support, their impacts on nurses’ burnout levels, and the long-term effects of organizational support interventions as mitigating factors for stress and burnout. Future studies should address these gaps to provide a more comprehensive understanding of how organizational support can effectively mitigate stress and burnout in nurses.
References
Hetzel, M. D., Swords, B. A., Tuang, H. L., Deck, J. M., & Spurgeon, N. S. (2019). Work engagement and resiliency impact the relationship between nursing stress and burnout. Psychological Reports, 123(5), 1835-1853. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033294119876076
Kamali, M., Sadati, A. K., Khademi, M. R., Ghahramani, S., Zarei, L., Ghaemi, S. Z., … & Lankarani, K. B. (2020). Burnout among nurses during the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak in Shiraz. Galen Medical Journal, 9, e1956. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8343654/
Li, X., Zhang, Y., Yan, D., Wen, F., & Zhang, Y. (2020). Nurses’ intention to stay: The impact of perceived organizational support, job control and job satisfaction. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 76(5), 1141-1150. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.14305
Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. P. (2016). Understanding the burnout experience: Recent research and its implications for psychiatry. World Psychiatry, 15(2), 103-111. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20311
Poghosyan, L., Ghaffari, A., Liu, J., & McHugh, M. D. (2020). Organizational support for nurse practitioners in primary care and workforce outcomes. Nursing Research, 69(4), 280-288. https://journals.lww.com/nursingresearchonline/Fulltext/2020/07000/Organizational
Shah, M. K., Gandrakota, N., Cimiotti, J. P., Ghose, N., Moore, M., & Ali, M. K. (2021). Prevalence of and factors associated with nurse burnout in the US. JAMA Network Open, 4(2), e2036469. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.36469
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