Stressful Work Environment (Hospital Setting) Health, Medicine Essay

Stressful Work Environment (Hospital Setting)
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Stressful Work Environment (Hospital Setting)
This paper delves into an issue that has been plaguing the nursing profession for decades: the burnout in the nursing workforce, which negatively impacts the competency and performance of nurses. Nurses are most vulnerable and susceptible to the development of burnout primarily because of the emotional demand and the nature of the profession. Because of its detrimental effects, both on individuals and organizations, burnout is a significant concern. For the nurse in a healthcare setting, the neuroendocrine response causes psychological reactions that can eventually result in illness. In a healthcare organization, burnout can result in turnover and absenteeism, both of which detract the quality of care. This paper seeks to provide historical background on the subject of burnout, its impacts in nursing, interventions, how to apply the interventions, barriers to application, and an overall reflection of the subject.
Historical Background
The term “burnout” was formulated in 1974 by Herbert Freudenberger. The underlying purpose behind the formulation of the term was to describe the outcomes of high ideals and severe stress undergone by individuals in occupations that involve direct interactions with people (Mudallal et al., 2017). Burnout is conceptualized as a symptom characterized by three key aspects: Emotional Exhaustion (EE) which refers to physical exhaustion due to work-related stress – often characterized by low energy, helplessness, hopelessness, depression, and fatigue. Depersonalization (DP) which refers to the interpersonal aspect associated with burnout that manifests as unfeeling, detachment from providing care and following instructions, and exhibiting negative behavior toward others. Low Personal Accomplishment (PA) which is characterized by negatively regarding ones’ self as inadequate, unproductive, and inept; consequently, individuals who regard themselves as such display low levels of involvement (Mudallal et al., 2017).
For both employees and organizations, burnout is a costly problem because when burnout manifests itself, it results in high turnover and absenteeism rates, which consequently negatively affect the quality of care (Mudallal et al., 2017). Thus, burnout in the nursing profession has been widely studied. Researchers have studied and examined the effects of various variables on burnout in aims of alleviating this phenomenon. Lower burnout levels are linked to psychological and structural empowerment, social support, professional practice, and environmental characteristics. Higher burnout levels are related to job dissatisfaction, work overload, and turnover (Mudallal et al., 2017).
Impact of Burnout in Nursing
The impacts of burnout in nursing are far-reaching. Everyone, from the patients and their families to the nurses and the entire facility, can be impacted by nurse burnout. Nurse burnout affects nurse well-being. Nurse burnout can cause depression, sleep issues, feelings of dread about work, physical and mental exhaustion, and compassion fatigue – which cause the nurse to disengage from patients (Salmich, 2018). Patient and family satisfaction is also impacted by nurse burnout. Interactions between patients and nurses are vital to patient satisfaction and patient experience scores. According to a study published in Medical Care, patients cared for in units in which nurses are characterized as having good relations between doctors and nurses, good administrative support, and adequate staff, were more likely to report high satisfaction with the level of care provided. Further, the burnout rates were significantly lower for their nurses (Vahey et al., as cited in Salmich, 2018).
Patient safety is also compromised due to burnout. Nurses suffering from burnout may experience lower cognitive function or may be less motivated due to emotional exhaustion; thus, putting patient safety at risk. According to Jeannie et al., in their article published in the American Journal of Infection Control, there is a significant association between UTIs and nurse burnout. The researchers confirm that hospital settings in which burnout was decreased by thirty percent recorded 6,239 fewer infections, which translates to $68 million saved in annual costs (Jeannie et al., as cited in Salmich, 2018). Nursing shortage and turnover are also linked to burnout. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing asserts that factors that contribute to the national nursing deficit include high retirement numbers, the aging population’s need for more healthcare workers, insufficient nursing faculty and school enrollment, and high turnover – the number of nurses leaving the nursing profession (2018). There is a cyclical relationship at work here: for those working in the profession, the national nursing deficit increases burnout as their workloads consequently grow.
Interventions and Application of Interventions
Many nurses report feeling completely exhausted and depleted by their profession. In response to this, interventions can be established in the workplace and by nurses as individuals in the hospital setting. Holding regular team meetings is a burnout intervention strategy because team meetings enable nurses to share their feelings and emotions (Vokhlacheva et al., 2018). According to Vokhlacheva, two types of meetings should be held: shift passages and annual team meetings (2018). The core purpose of shift passages is to facilitate a seamless transfer of patients’ relevant data between clinicians at the start and end of the scheduled work shift. Annual team meetings, on the other hand, are aimed at promoting group dynamics and teamwork (Vokhlacheva et al., 2018). As asserted by Vander Elst et al., holding team meetings provides a platform in wh...