IMPLEMENTING A BUDDY SYSTEM TO REDUCE NURSE BURNOUT
Nurses regularly sacrifice their own needs to meet the needs of their patients. Habitually neglecting self-care increases the risk of burnout, which has significant consequences for the nurse, the patient, and the overall healthcare system. Nurses who take care of themselves provide better care for their patients, have higher job satisfaction, and are more engaged members of the healthcare team. Fortunately, there are many simple ways to empower staff nurses to reduce their risk of burnout and increase job satisfaction given the tools they already possess. The purpose of this paper is to define and explore the nature of burnout syndrome, identify a realistic, evidence-based intervention to reduce the risk of developing it, and discuss implementation strategies and goals.
Burnout syndrome is a psychological state resulting from prolonged exposure to job stressors (Embriaco et al., 2007). Defining burnout can be elusive, as there are several commonly accepted descriptions used today. Leiter & Spence Laschinger (2006) refer to burnout as “an occupation-induced psychological syndrome that is the extreme opposite of engagement” (p. 138), while Storlie (1979) views burnout as more of “a spiritual phenomenon in which a person experiences …show more content…
Quality of patient care, patient satisfaction, and patient outcomes all suffer when nurses are not engaged with their colleagues, patients, family, and work environments (Khamisa, Peltzer, Ilic, & Oldenburg, 2016). Burnout also negatively effects the nurse’s physical and emotional well-being, increasing their risk of several stress-related diseases, including cardiac and immune disorders and mental health problems (Leiter & Maslach,
Nurses regularly sacrifice their own needs to meet the needs of their patients. Habitually neglecting self-care increases the risk of burnout, which has significant consequences for the nurse, the patient, and the overall healthcare system. Nurses who take care of themselves provide better care for their patients, have higher job satisfaction, and are more engaged members of the healthcare team. Fortunately, there are many simple ways to empower staff nurses to reduce their risk of burnout and increase job satisfaction given the tools they already possess. The purpose of this paper is to define and explore the nature of burnout syndrome, identify a realistic, evidence-based intervention to reduce the risk of developing it, and discuss implementation strategies and goals.
Burnout syndrome is a psychological state resulting from prolonged exposure to job stressors (Embriaco et al., 2007). Defining burnout can be elusive, as there are several commonly accepted descriptions used today. Leiter & Spence Laschinger (2006) refer to burnout as “an occupation-induced psychological syndrome that is the extreme opposite of engagement” (p. 138), while Storlie (1979) views burnout as more of “a spiritual phenomenon in which a person experiences …show more content…
Quality of patient care, patient satisfaction, and patient outcomes all suffer when nurses are not engaged with their colleagues, patients, family, and work environments (Khamisa, Peltzer, Ilic, & Oldenburg, 2016). Burnout also negatively effects the nurse’s physical and emotional well-being, increasing their risk of several stress-related diseases, including cardiac and immune disorders and mental health problems (Leiter & Maslach,