Introduction
Patient safety has been a topic of high interest in recent years. Many factors attribute to the quality and safety of a patient; however, nurse burnout has been identified as a key indicator for patient safety (Dolan, et al., 2015). It is important to identify signs when a nurse is exhibiting burnout. Burnout is identified as emotional exhaustion and dissatisfaction (Dolan, et al., 2015). Noting trends in low patient outcomes and signs of burnout among nurses can be beneficial in increasing quality and safety of the patient.
Nursing Burnout as a Contributing Factor to Patient Quality and Safety
Nursing burnout can be measured utilizing the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), a self-survey tool, which was implemented to various healthcare …show more content…
However, there are several factors that can keep nurses from voicing their concerns. Nurses, especially new nurses and student nurses, might be cautious to speak up due to dismissal of reports by higher nursing administration, punishment, and fear of being disliked (Fagan, Parker & Johnson, 2016). This fear can stem from previous experiences or from stories passed down by other nursing students. By keeping silent due to fear, these nurses are also compromising patient quality of care and safety (Fagan, Parker, & Johnson, 2016). In order to instill confidence in these new nurses it is important that there be a good work environment. It is important to focus mistakes on improvement and learning, as opposed to punishment (Wachter, 2012). Communication is a key factor in helping to avoid preventable patient harm and can also be tied to having a good culture in the work environment (Fagan, Parker & Johnson, …show more content…
Communication between interdisciplinary team members is crucial in reducing adverse patient outcomes (Fagan, Parker & Johnson, 2016). Having good communication is not only beneficial to the patient, but also to the staff and can help improve retention rates within a unit. Quality of care is important because the third leading cause of death in the United States is medical errors (Wachter, 2012). Many of the medical errors that occur can be prevented. It is important that nurses speak up when their workload is excessively high as this can lead to poor sleep patterns and chronic fatigue (Martin, 2016). Workarounds are often sought out when patient load is high and this compromises the patient’s quality of care and safety (Wachter, 2012). Reporting of workarounds can help in the prevention of adverse side effects. When staff members voice their concerns, it is in the hope that the actions leading to patient harm be stopped immediately (Fagan, Parker & Johnson,
Patient safety has been a topic of high interest in recent years. Many factors attribute to the quality and safety of a patient; however, nurse burnout has been identified as a key indicator for patient safety (Dolan, et al., 2015). It is important to identify signs when a nurse is exhibiting burnout. Burnout is identified as emotional exhaustion and dissatisfaction (Dolan, et al., 2015). Noting trends in low patient outcomes and signs of burnout among nurses can be beneficial in increasing quality and safety of the patient.
Nursing Burnout as a Contributing Factor to Patient Quality and Safety
Nursing burnout can be measured utilizing the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), a self-survey tool, which was implemented to various healthcare …show more content…
However, there are several factors that can keep nurses from voicing their concerns. Nurses, especially new nurses and student nurses, might be cautious to speak up due to dismissal of reports by higher nursing administration, punishment, and fear of being disliked (Fagan, Parker & Johnson, 2016). This fear can stem from previous experiences or from stories passed down by other nursing students. By keeping silent due to fear, these nurses are also compromising patient quality of care and safety (Fagan, Parker, & Johnson, 2016). In order to instill confidence in these new nurses it is important that there be a good work environment. It is important to focus mistakes on improvement and learning, as opposed to punishment (Wachter, 2012). Communication is a key factor in helping to avoid preventable patient harm and can also be tied to having a good culture in the work environment (Fagan, Parker & Johnson, …show more content…
Communication between interdisciplinary team members is crucial in reducing adverse patient outcomes (Fagan, Parker & Johnson, 2016). Having good communication is not only beneficial to the patient, but also to the staff and can help improve retention rates within a unit. Quality of care is important because the third leading cause of death in the United States is medical errors (Wachter, 2012). Many of the medical errors that occur can be prevented. It is important that nurses speak up when their workload is excessively high as this can lead to poor sleep patterns and chronic fatigue (Martin, 2016). Workarounds are often sought out when patient load is high and this compromises the patient’s quality of care and safety (Wachter, 2012). Reporting of workarounds can help in the prevention of adverse side effects. When staff members voice their concerns, it is in the hope that the actions leading to patient harm be stopped immediately (Fagan, Parker & Johnson,