Summary
Reducing burnout is an effective way of mitigating the issue of nurse shortage. The theory that addresses this challenge is Stamm’s Theory of Compassion Satisfaction and Compassion Fatigue, which refers to the importance of nurse satisfaction when caring for patients and cooperating with colleagues (Merk, 2018). There are several evidence-based project objectives that have the potential of significantly improving nurse satisfaction and reducing burnout in four weeks. The proposed measures include the implementation of telehealth as a more prominent technological tool, mental health surveys, reducing working hours, and creating a healthier work environment.
Telehealth
Telehealth can significantly decrease the physical burden nurses may encounter. Thus, patients can be monitored through devices, receive health advice, and consult the healthcare provider without physically meeting them. Nurses will apply telehealth in all situations that do not require one-on-one interactions with the patients. The project will help the nursing staff in reducing burnout by applying technology to communicate and monitor (Sultana et al., 2020). The outcome will be measured by screening the devices and noting whether the participants used them as implied within the initiative. Moreover, the evaluation plan will be examined through the survey administered before and after project implementation.
Mental Health Surveys
Burnout is directly linked to poor mental health, which is why it is essential to address this topic. Implementing mental-health surveys will not only help monitor the psychological well-being of the nurses but also help prevent the worsening of the conditions. Such psychological evaluation surveys will be administered weekly, and the outcome of the initiative will be examined by identifying the filled-in files. The researcher’s highlight that routinely assessing nurses’ mental health is critical in preventing burnout (Havaei et al., 2021). To evaluate the results, the pre-project mental health survey will be compared to the post-project survey to identify the positive or negative outcomes.
Healthy Work Environment
Communication and cooperation are at the core of job satisfaction. Thus, creating an environment in which nurses are able to discuss professional problems or ask for advice openly is essential. 20-minute meetings will be performed every week before a shift to allow participants to share ideas or discuss objectives that require teamwork. Researchers provide evidence that social support is crucial to job satisfaction (Chen et al., 2019). The outcomes will be measured by providing participants with a survey at the end of the 4-week project with self-assessment questions in regards to the perception of this initiative.
Limiting Working Time
Most nursing shifts last 12 hours, which can be challenging in terms of maintaining high satisfaction and productivity. The project proposes to change the schedule to an 8-hour one with an additional workday. Thus, nurses will not have to work fewer hours, yet the schedule itself will be less mentally and health-wise challenging to follow. Gyllensten et al. (2017) concluded that limiting working hours positively affects nurse satisfaction. The pre-and post-project survey will illustrate the difference in job satisfaction and indicate the initiative’s efficiency.
Barriers and Solutions
Participants may be apprehensive about the meetings since the nurses will have to spend 20 minutes before the beginning of four shifts for discussions with colleagues. However, the barrier will be mitigated since the shifts will be reduced from 12 to 8 hours. Another possible difficulty will be the resistance towards the mental health surveys since they require full transparency and openness. However, the nurses will be reassured in regards to the confidentiality of data to avoid difficulties.
References
Chen, J., Li, J., Cao, B., Wang, F., Luo, L., & Xu, J. (2019). Mediating effects of self‐efficacy, coping, burnout, and social support between job stress and mental health among young Chinese nurses. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 76(1), 163–173. Web.
Gyllensten, K., Andersson, G., & Muller, H. (2017). Experiences of reduced work hours for nurses and assistant nurses at a surgical department: A qualitative study. BMC Nursing, 16(1). Web.
Havaei, F., Ji, X. R., MacPhee, M., & Straight, H. (2021). Identifying the most important workplace factors in predicting nurse mental health using machine learning techniques. BMC Nursing, 20(1). Web.
Merk, T. (2018). Compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction & burnout among pediatric nurses. Air Medical Journal, 37(5), 292. Web.
Sultana, A., Sharma, R., Hossain, M., Bhattacharya, S., & Purohit, N. (2020). Burnout among healthcare providers during Covid-19: Challenges and evidence-based interventions. Indian Journal of Medical Ethics. Web.