Burnout Among Nursing Staff and Its Negative Effects

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Introduction

Nursing personnel are responsible for a wide range of tasks and are involved in a large number of activities, including both patient care and other operational activities related to maintaining the stable operation of healthcare institutions. High workload, improper working regime, and other factors are the causes of stress in the workplace. Stress, in turn, leads to burnout, which is characterized by a decrease in job resources and an inability to perform direct duties effectively (Tahlil, 2022). The more concerns an employee experiences, the higher the likelihood of rooting a state of incapacity. As a result, nurses lose productivity, which also negatively affects patient outcomes.

A tense work environment in different departments can cause burnout. For instance, Zhang et al. (2018) correlate burnout with compassion fatigue and note that the latter phenomenon often causes loss of performance in addition to increased workload. The purpose of this work is to identify the ways to overcome the state of burnout among nursing staff while simultaneously considering the prerequisites for its development. As a rationale, relevant academic resources will be considered in a literature review. Both emotional and professional aspects of nurses’ activities need to be addressed to eliminate the manifestations of burnout in the workplace.

Statement of the Problem/Opportunity

The development of burnout among nursing staff is an obstacle to high performance. According to Zhang et al. (2018), junior medical staff often cannot cope with the problem on their own, and therefore, management assistance is needed. The development of burnout can occur in any environment, but the intensity of the work process directly affects stressful conditions. Nurses are often forced to deal with such conditions individually, which is rarely successful. Proper assistance in overcoming burnout contributes to increasing team productivity.

As a potential problem-solving tool, multi-stakeholder involvement may be considered. Managers have a direct interest in improving the performance of nursing staff. As Smythe et al. (2017) argue, nurses often lack knowledge about coping with stressors. As a result, creating appropriate educational conditions can be an effective preventive measure to overcome the issue. Otherwise, the risks of expanding the level of burnout among the staff increase.

Based on the fact that the issue of nursing burnout entails significant difficulties in maintaining a normal working regime, appropriate improvement interventions are important initiatives. Involving employees in various programs and courses can be an effective change practice. Morale optimization can take place in different ways depending on the resource bases or the fullness of medical units. Ignoring the problem is fraught not only with a deterioration in productivity but also with a decrease in patient outcomes, which is unacceptable in the context of continuous care. Therefore, addressing nursing burnout often becomes one of the priorities in personnel management.

Background

The problem of nursing burnout can be caused by various reasons, which are essential to address timely. For instance, according to Tahlil (2022), a high workload can be a prerequisite for the development of fatigue and, therefore, constant stress, which, in turn, leads to poor productivity. The researcher also notes ineffective supervision as one of the risk factors because poor control over performance and the microclimate in the team is often associated with burnout among nurses (Tahlil, 2022). The HR department may not put in enough effort to keep the team running smoothly. As a result, nurses cannot count on their leaders’ support.

The compassion that nurses feel for their target patients may be one of the prerequisites for the development of the burnout problem. As Zhang et al. (2018) note, due to the mental exhaustion that is often unavoidable when working with difficult cases, many employees no longer feel compelled to perform their direct duties effectively. This situation can be observed, for instance, in intensive care units or in institutions specializing in palliative care. Moral exhaustion occurs due to constant stress caused by patients’ deaths or suffering (Zhang et al., 2018). In such conditions, this is challenging to maintain interest in work and demonstrate maximum productivity.

Due to little knowledge on how to deal with burnout, nurses often have to change jobs. This negatively affects the effectiveness of care and is a persistent problem for the entire health system. The involvement of management in the problem may be superficial, which does not improve the situation. The model of interaction with subordinates should imply providing conditions for the effective implementation of employees’ professional potential. Cases of burnout may be evidence of an illiterately constructed policy for the distribution of responsibilities in a team.

Significance of the Project

The practical significance of the project under consideration to find methods to reduce burnout among nursing staff is due to a potential increase in work productivity. Patient outcomes are a critical factor reflecting the performance of a particular unit or a healthcare facility. The ability to build a work environment where junior medical workers can feel stress-free is directly related to improving the quality of care. Moreover, the entire healthcare system can benefit from obtaining credible results of the analysis. Therefore, the proposed project is important and can help reinforce the value of nursing roles.

The resolution of the compassion fatigue issue is another valuable implication of the project in question. Helping nurses deal with stress is directly related to their training to overcome mental exhaustion. The more employees are aware of how to deal with difficulties caused by busy work schedules or the severity of cases, the more efficient the workflow will be (Zhang et al., 2018). In addition, the burden on management will be partially removed because there will be no need to look for alternative and complex algorithms for controlling and distributing tasks. Thus, the indirect problem of compassion fatigue can also be resolved through targeted analytical activities.

Helping nurses adapt to a stressful work environment is a perspective aimed at eliminating turnover and any other problems associated with understaffing. According to Smythe et al. (2017), increasing professional competencies should be not only practical but also theoretical to obtain objective knowledge about the specifics of the work process. In conditions of stress, staff cannot realize their full potential. Therefore, providing conditions for obtaining comprehensive information about the principles of avoiding burnout is a crucial condition. As a result, the proposed project has several valuable implications that can be analyzed through the evaluation of existing findings from a relevant academic background.

Literature Review

The opportunities to find credible materials and evaluate their effectiveness from the perspective of the stated topic can be realized by conducting a literature review. This activity involves collecting suitable resources containing the findings of reputable researchers and considering the necessary issues from different methodological standpoints. Approaches to data collection may vary depending on the tasks set, but in the context of the topic under consideration, any findings can be of the practical and theoretical value.

Methods of Searching

A literature review was conducted using the sources collected from credible databases. As the main resources, scholarly articles from academic journals were utilized. Searching for keywords, such as “nurse,” “burnout,” “compassion,” “fatigue,” “stress,” and “education,” helped find suitable resources. Both quantitative and qualitative studies were involved to use different types of findings. Search by time period (within the last five years) allowed for choosing relevant and valid sources.

Review of the Literature

The topic of burnout among nursing staff has been explored extensively in academic literature, and attention is given to a variety of work environments. For instance, Smythe et al. (2017) analyze the features of the work of junior medical personnel in nursing homes and argue in favor of the need to organize appropriate theoretical courses for staff. As the researchers argue, nurses often do not know how to cope with burnout caused by high workload and frequent patients’ deaths, and educational interventions can be tools for professional development (Smythe et al., 2017). At the same time, in their quantitative study, Dev et al. (2018) consider self-help mechanisms that nursing staff can utilize. The authors note the importance of timely detection of burnout symptoms and assessment of a personal emotional state (Dev et al., 2018). This practice may help prevent the development of depressive disorders. Both strategies are potentially valuable, but in the second case, work experience is a critical criterion that can affect the effectiveness of decision-making and become a deterrent in an adequate evaluation of individual morale.

In academic literature, particular attention is paid to stressors that provoke burnout, as well as the methods of overcoming them. For instance, Ching et al. (2020) highlight the importance of reflection skills that nurses need to develop to successfully cope with the workload. At the same time, the researchers pay attention to the significance of effective workflow management because such organizational nuances as busy schedules or lack of staff can cause employees’ moral exhaustion (Ching et al., 2020). At the same time, Mäenpää et al. (2017) draw a parallel between the level of engagement in a team and burnout and note that involvement in the work process should be considered one of the prerequisites for fatigue. This is critical for nurses to gain the right knowledge on how to combine different operational strategies to avoid overwork (Mäenpää et al., 2017). These ideas confirm the value of appropriate educational interventions in the context of combating burnout.

Stressors and motivators are not the only criteria that are considered in scholarly sources in the context of the nurse burnout topic. Van Bogaert et al. (2017) state that the individual characteristics of employees that affect the work process, such as communication skills or work experience, are critical to analyze as the factors that may be associated with uncontrolled fatigue. The authors remark that poor teamwork may be a prerequisite for the development of burnout among employees who experience moral discomfort associated with the inability to realize their potential among colleagues (Van Bogaert et al., 2017). At the same time, such a characteristic as resilience can increase fatigue resistance because, as Hancock et al. (2020) argue, it reflects the ability to deal with stressors regardless of the work environment. However, the aforementioned stressors, poor teamwork, and other barriers are factors that reduce resilience (Hancock et al., 2020). Therefore, nurses need to develop this skill as an attainment positively correlated with stress tolerance.

Despite the fact that burnout is an occupational problem, some studies highlight the importance of external factors influencing the level of fatigue in nurses. For instance, Tahlil (2022) draws attention to the work-family conflict as one of the prerequisites for the development of the issue. According to the author, based on the results of statistical calculations, it is revealed that the participants in the control group confirm the presence of burnout in case of work-family conflicts (Tahlil, 2022). This suggests that, in addition to peer support, this is crucial for nurses to maintain a favorable microclimate in families to prevent moral exhaustion. Regarding the issue of compassion fatigue, Zhang et al. (2018) note that, along with burnout, this problem is one of the most acute in nursing teams, as evidenced by statistical calculations. Thus, maintaining conditions for the normal work of personnel requires evaluating various criteria not necessarily related to professional activities.

Burnout among nurses is associated with high turnover, which is seen as a critical issue for the healthcare system. According to Karakachian and Colbert (2019), a shortage of nursing staff results in worse patient outcomes and, in addition, increases budget expenditures. Healthcare institutions have to spend more on recruiting and training new employees who do not have sufficient practical experience, and all these processes make it difficult to establish productive activities (Karakachian & Colbert, 2019). Therefore, creating conditions for employees to satisfy their professional interests and providing the necessary support are significant management practices that may help save budget funds.

Findings

The literature review has shown that the problem of burnout among nurses is studied from different perspectives, but all authors, without exception, agree that addressing this issue is a must. As one of the key initiatives promoted to increase workforce resilience to possible stressors, many researchers confirm the value of educational interventions in teams (Mäenpää et al., 2017; Smythe et al., 2017). In addition, training courses that management can provide are aimed at addressing an equally important objective that is also often noted in various studies, namely the strengthening of self-regulation skills (Ching et al., 2020; Dev et al., 2018; Hancock et al., 2020). The literature review has demonstrated the problem of the inability of many employees to cope with stressors on their own or anticipate impending depression or mental breakdown. As a result, creating conditions for increasing the nursing staff’s knowledge of coping techniques is an important practice to promote in different work environments.

The literature review has demonstrated the causes influencing the development of burnout in nurses. Along with occupational factors, personal criteria are important to consider; for instance, work-family conflicts can be the cause of poor productivity (Tahlil, 2022). Particular attention is also paid to teamwork as an indicator that correlates with productivity and employee morale. Based on the review, many researchers confirm that poor teamwork exacerbated by a lack of peer support can be the cause of burnout (Hancock et al., 2020; Zhang et al., 2018). Regarding other organizational nuances, understaffing of nursing units may be a prerequisite for the development of both physical and moral exhaustion of employees due to excessive workload (Karakachian & Colbert, 2019). In general, along with managerial interventions, nurses themselves should be able to supervise their activities by developing appropriate skills, such as communication, and gaining more experience to better deal with difficult cases (Van Bogaert et al., 2017). All these findings confirm the significance of the issue raised and the variability of interventions that can be implemented to help targeted employees.

Outcomes, Approach, and Budget

Based on the findings, educational intervention is one of the effective strategies for teaching nurses how to prevent burnout. By organizing special training sessions with experienced mentors, staff can learn valuable lessons and identify the range of skills they need to hone. The budget for such an intervention may differ depending on the length of the course, and the costs will include both the salaries of mentors and the purchase of the necessary digital materials and equipment.

Strategies and Results

The strategy of implementing the educational course is a good practice to involve the required number of nurses in the training program. Creating conditions for obtaining valuable knowledge involves the exchange of experience and constant communication, which is important for strengthening peer support and improving the quality of teamwork. If, at the end of the course, employees express positive opinions about such an intervention by providing personal feedback, this will mean that the outcomes of the performed work have justified the investment and time.

Conclusion

Nurse burnout is a serious problem in the healthcare system because the moral and physical exhaustion of junior medical staff directly leads to a deterioration in patient outcomes. The literature review has contributed to identifying the most common prerequisites for this issue, including the lack of practical experience, poor teamwork, inadequate peer support, inefficiently organized workflow, and some others. Given the value of training as a potentially effective intervention, a nursing education course is proposed in which mentors can be involved. Gaining valuable knowledge about how to deal with stressors and prevent burnout can improve employees’ morale and, therefore, increase their productivity.

References

Ching, S. S. Y., Cheung, K., Hegney, D., & Rees, C. S. (2020). Stressors and coping of nursing students in clinical placement: A qualitative study contextualizing their resilience and burnout. Nurse Education in Practice, 42, 102690.

Dev, V., Fernando, A. T., Lim, A. G., & Consedine, N. S. (2018). Does self-compassion mitigate the relationship between burnout and barriers to compassion? A cross-sectional quantitative study of 799 nurses. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 81, 81-88.

Hancock, J., Witter, T., Comber, S., Daley, P., Thompson, K., Candow, S., Follett, G., Somers, W., Collins, C., White, J., & Kits, O. (2020). Understanding burnout and moral distress to build resilience: A qualitative study of an interprofessional intensive care unit team. Canadian Journal of Anesthesia/Journal Canadien D’anesthésie, 67(11), 1541-1548.

Karakachian, A., & Colbert, A. (2019). Nurses’ moral distress, burnout, and intentions to leave: An integrative review. Journal of Forensic Nursing, 15(3), 133-142.

Mäenpää, K., Pyhältö, K., Järvenoja, H., & Peltonen, J. (2017). Nursing students’ motivation regulation and its relationship with engagement and burnout. Nordic Journal of Nursing Research, 38(3), 143-150.

Smythe, A., Jenkins, C., Galant-Miecznikowska, M., Bentham, P., & Oyebode, J. (2017). A qualitative study investigating training requirements of nurses working with people with dementia in nursing homes.Nurse Education Today, 50, 119-123.

Tahlil, T. (2022). Nurses’ burnout and its associated factors and impact on the quality of nursing services. International Journal of Nursing Education, 14(2), 24-33.

Van Bogaert, P., Peremans, L., Van Heusden, D., Verspuy, M., Kureckova, V., Van de Cruys, Z., & Franck, E. (2017). Predictors of burnout, work engagement and nurse reported job outcomes and quality of care: A mixed method study.BMC Nursing, 16(1), 1-14.

Zhang, Y. Y., Han, W. L., Qin, W., Yin, H. X., Zhang, C. F., Kong, C., & Wang, Y. L. (2018). Extent of compassion satisfaction, compassion fatigue and burnout in nursing: A meta‐analysis.Journal of Nursing Management, 26(7), 810-819.

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