Posted: October 19th, 2023

How Nurse Burnout Can Affect the Safety of Patients

How Nurse Burnout Can Affect the Safety of Patients

Nurse burnout is a serious issue that affects not only the well-being of nurses, but also the quality and safety of patient care. According to the World Health Organization, nurse burnout is “a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion caused by long-term involvement in emotionally demanding situations” (WHO, 2019). Some of the common causes of nurse burnout are excessive workload, lack of autonomy, poor work environment, insufficient resources, and emotional stress (Aiken et al., 2016).

Nurse burnout can have negative consequences for both nurses and patients. For nurses, burnout can lead to physical and mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, insomnia, fatigue, and increased risk of infections (Dyrbye et al., 2017). Burnout can also reduce nurses’ job satisfaction, commitment, and motivation, resulting in absenteeism, turnover, and reduced productivity (Hayes et al., 2016).

For patients, nurse burnout can compromise the quality and safety of care. Studies have shown that nurse burnout is associated with increased rates of medication errors, hospital-acquired infections, patient falls, and mortality (Cimiotti et al., 2012; Vahey et al., 2004). Burnout can also impair nurses’ communication, empathy, and decision-making skills, affecting their ability to provide patient-centered care (Laschinger et al., 2016).

Therefore, it is imperative to prevent and reduce nurse burnout in order to improve the outcomes of both nurses and patients. Some of the strategies that can help mitigate nurse burnout are:

– Providing adequate staffing and resources to reduce workload and stress
– Enhancing nurses’ autonomy and empowerment to increase their control over their work
– Improving work environment and culture to foster collaboration and support
– Offering flexible schedules and work-life balance programs to accommodate nurses’ needs
– Providing training and education on stress management and coping skills
– Recognizing and rewarding nurses’ contributions and achievements

By implementing these strategies, health care organizations can create a healthy and positive work environment for nurses, which can enhance their well-being, satisfaction, and performance. In turn, this can improve the quality and safety of patient care, leading to better patient outcomes and satisfaction.

References

Aiken, L. H., Sloane, D. M., Bruyneel, L., Van den Heede, K., Griffiths, P., Busse,
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387(10033), 1824-1830.

Cimiotti, J. P., Aiken, L. H., Sloane, D. M., & Wu, E. S. (2012). Nurse staffing,
burnout, and health care–associated infection. American journal of infection control,
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Dyrbye, L. N., Shanafelt, T. D., Johnson, P. O., Johnson, L. A., Satele,
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Work environment,
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Vahey,
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WHO
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Burn-out an “occupational phenomenon”:
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Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news/item/28-05-2019-burn-out-an-occupational-phenomenon-international-classification-of-diseases