Causes of Burnout Among Nurses (Research Paper Sample)

Causes of Burnout Among Nurses Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Course Professor’s Name Date Causes of Burnout Among Nurses Workers in the service sector, primarily those providing services in busy work environments, may experience high levels of burnout if they fail to deal with its causes. Nurses are one healthcare group that tends to report high cases of burnout. According to the University of St. Augustine (2020), nurses work in a high-stress environment where they must collaborate, provide care, and make decisions that impact patients’ lives, which influences the occurrence of a mental and physical condition called burnout. Nurse burnout occurs as cognitive, physical, and emotional fatigue brought about by accumulated work-related stressors that cause nurses to be detached and disengaged, affecting their performance. The report discusses three causes of nurse burnout and three strategy solutions associated with culture change. Causes of Nurse Burnout Nurses make up the most significant percentage of workers in the healthcare system, and they have different roles that can contribute to burnout. Prolonged exposure to burnout can lead to hopelessness, job dissatisfaction, skepticism, and lack of confidence. The fundamental causes of burnout among nurses include working long hours in hectic work environments, understaffing, and high-stress environments. Working for Long Hours One factor contributing to nurses’ burnout is working long hours in a busy healthcare setting. In large hospitals, nurses must work hard to meet their goals, provide adequate patient care, administer treatment, and conduct necessary research (Dall’Ora et al., 2020). In most cases, nurses work longer than expected, leading to inadequate sleep, exercise, social connection, and personal time, contributing to burnout. Studies have shown that the longer nurses work for long hours in healthcare settings, the higher their exposure to stress, lack of focus, and sleep deprivation, leading to physical and psychological complications (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2019). Understaffing Nurse shortage is a critical problem within healthcare settings, leading to understaffing, which translates to overwork among nurses and burnout. By 2050, people aged 65 and above in the United States will be 83.7 million, establishing an aging population requiring additional nurses to take care of their needs (Capella University, 2019). By 2030, over 1.2 million nurses will be needed to address the current shortages while catering to health issues (Tamata et al., 2021). The nurse shortages lead to burnout, high levels of stress, and poor patient outcomes. High-Stress Environments Nurses work in high-stress environments, making decisions that impact people’s lives. According to the University of St Augustine (2020), nurses have varying specialties with specific challenges, but others are more stressful. Nurses working in emergency departments within telemetry and intensive care deal with highly ill patients who need special care, traumatic injuries, ethical dilemmas, and high mortality rates. These incidents result in high-stress levels and burnout. Cañadas-De la Fuente, Gómez-Urquiza, Ortega-Campos, Cañadas, Albendín-García, and De la Fuente-Solana (2018), conducted a study and found that 30% of nurses in oncology experience emotional fatigue and 35% felt low personal performance, which are symptoms of burnout. Burnout is associated with high-stress working environments. Culture Strategy Solutions Nurse burnout causes fatigue and disengagement, which pose severe issues in delivering quality healthcare. Solving the problem of nurse burnout requires healthcare organizations to implement a strategy for culture change involving nurses and leaders within healthcare organizations. Some of the best solutions include training leaders to recognize and address nurse burnout, solving understaffing, and implementing support programs. Training Leaders The first cultural change solution is to train leaders within the healthcare setting to recognize and address nurse burnout. Leaders should be trained to identify the signs and symptoms of nurse burnout, such as disengagement, poor work performance, anti-social behavior, and frustration (Dall’Ora et al., 2020). When nurse leaders recognize the signs and symptoms of burnout early, they can support their staff by implementing strategies to address stress levels before burnout escalates and becomes a severe issue. Solving Understaffing The report has identified understaffing as one of the causes of burnout due to working overtime. Healthcare organizations should implement a culture of hiring adequate nurses in different departments who work shifts to provide time for rest, balance work and personal life, and explore other learning opportunities to improve their knowledge. Hiring adequate nurses solves the issue of the nurse-to-patient ratio, reducing the overwhelming workload by providing personnel to cater to many different patients’ needs. Implementing Support Programs Healthcare organizations should implement support programs for their nurses to prevent burnout. Nursing has been established as an inherently stressful profession that can result in psychological and physical health issues (Dall’Ora et al., 2020). Therefore, organizations should impleme...