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Problem-Based Research

Nurse Burnout

Brooke D. Smith

Delaware Technical Community College

NUR 340-2W3 Nursing Research

Tammy Layer, BSN, MSN

August 7, 2022
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Due to the current epidemic, I have chosen to research nurse burnout, a subject that is

both very personal to me and one with which many people can identify. Nurses routinely help

patients recover from illnesses and injuries, and they see the tangible results of their care on

patients' quality of life. Even though many people find nursing to be rewarding, there is another

side to the profession. Burnout in nurses is a phenomenon that manifests as physical, mental, and

emotional tiredness as a result of job stress. Most nursing professionals experience nurse

burnout. After a burnout, you could feel helpless. If you identify the factors that contribute to

your burnout and learn how to manage it, you can continue to be successful in your nursing

career (Clarke, 2021).

By identifying key elements associated with high-risk work contexts, healthcare

administrators can put policies in place to promote resilience and lower burnout. Nurse leaders

must be aware of the challenges that nurses face and develop appropriate solutions. Leaders must

also provide resources in order to reduce stress and promote resilience. Workshops are a

beneficial way to increase the nursing staff's resilience. Numerous programs included both

individual and group activities to enhance resilient qualities and strategies. Writing exercises,

breathing exercises, exercise routines, event trigger detection, and mindfulness training were

among the techniques researched. Organizational leaders should think about funding EOL skill-

building programs for nursing staff as well as providing tools to aid staff members both during

and after a patient's death. Staff members' resilience increased when they took breaks from trying

situations, were relieved of their duties after a patient passed away, and were told of the patient's

passing. Enterprises may benefit from the development of creative task management systems.

Employees' interpersonal skills can be developed through social interactions and team-building
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exercises. To deal with lateral aggression, staff members may be able to draw on their

communication and conflict resolution training (Brown, 2018).

Qualitative Literature Review

Amid quickly evolving protocols for handling the ongoing crisis, healthcare providers are

combating COVID-19 on the front lines. Due to their lack of preparation, the disease's quick

changes, and the difficulty of carrying out their tasks due to a lack of protocol, reliable

information, and appropriate equipment for preventing contamination, they are challenged in

coping with the unpredictable pandemic. Without enough planning, one may experience stress,

worry, dread, helplessness, hopelessness, rage, and stigmatization, among other physical and

psychological problems. However, healthcare professionals that treated COVID-19 patients

make every effort to perform their duties competently while also making a minimum number of

compromises. On the other hand, their excessive workload may lead to burnout and the

termination of their healthcare professionals, threatening the security of the patients. Research

indicates that creating training programs for healthcare professionals may help them better

manage the pandemic if we have a better understanding of their experiences caring for COVID-

19 patients. Programs targeting the PTSD symptoms of healthcare professionals can also be put

in place to assist them in managing the current situation more skillfully, enhance their mental

health at work, and lessen posttraumatic disorders brought on by the COVID-19 epidemic

(Koontalay, Suksatan, Prabsangob, & Sadang, 2021).

Qualitative Analysis

Table 1 summarizes the four themes that emerged from the thematic synthesis of the data

regarding the participants' actual experiences caring for patients during the COVID-19

pandemic: inadequate preparedness, emotional challenges, insufficient equipment and

information, and work burnout. In China, the United States, the United Kingdom, South Korea,

Brazil, Iran, and Lebanon, all of the research were carried out in 2020. 498 healthcare

professionals, including physicians, nurses, pediatric nurses, paramedics, support personnel, and

physiotherapists, participated in these ten trials (Koontalay et al., 2021).

Quantitative Literature Review

Research suggests that during the height of the COVID-19 outbreak, health care workers

utilized both problem-focused (such employing social support and religious practice) and

emotion-focused (like using distracting activities) coping techniques to manage their stress.

During disease outbreaks like the coronavirus pandemic, research also uncovered a wealth of

data demonstrating the importance and effectiveness of coping mechanisms, psychological

fortitude, and social support in preserving the mental health and psychological well-being of

healthcare professionals (Labrague, 2021).

Quantitative Analysis

The majority of the studies were carried out in China; the remainder were carried out in

Italy, the Philippines, the United States, Turkey, Spain, Israel, Palestine, Pakistan, and Egypt.

There were 10 to 4,618 people in the samples. Most of the healthcare professionals who

participated in the studies were either psychologists, nurses, doctors, nursing assistants,

midwives, radiologists, physiotherapists, or pharmacists. The majority of studies used online

questionnaires in a cross-sectional research style, whereas one study used a longitudinal research

design. Most of the research used standardized scales to assess health care professionals'

psychological resilience, coping abilities, and social support. Six studies used research-designed

questionnaires and/or questions to detect coping mechanisms in healthcare professionals.

Research Gaps

Research limitations were noted, even though both studies contributed to the existing

understanding of resilience, coping mechanisms, and social support among healthcare

professionals. Continuous research is required to examine how resilience, coping mechanisms,

and social support among healthcare professionals have altered throughout the course of the

pandemic's several waves since the first wave of research was completed.

Recommendations

Burnout can be prevented if the providers are made aware of the risks and prepared for

potential work stress. Such information can help foster resilience and reduce the stigma attached

to mental health conditions like burnout. Because it might lessen stress and burnout related to the

employment, healthcare workers should be encouraged to maintain excellent mental health

during the pandemic. Several strategies are used to lessen the likelihood of burnout, including

lowering workload, improving work schedules, promoting self-management, commencing

mindfulness-based stress reduction, and launching mental health promotion initiatives. A method

to improve access to mental health treatments might be to include mental health specialists in

multidisciplinary COVID-19 teams who could provide services or point healthcare personnel

who are showing signs of burnout in the proper direction. Additionally, peer support groups or

group therapy sessions during COVID-19 may be effective ways to reduce burnout and improve

mental health. The prudent use of electronic health data could be another tactic to manage work

schedules, monitor healthy work habits, and reduce the risks of overtaxing frontline healthcare

personnel during COVID-19. An alternative is to provide counseling and interventions via digital

platforms like mobile phones, applications, or internet-connected gadgets (Sultana, Sharma,

Hossain, Bhattacharya, Purohit, 2020).

To reduce workplace stress and permanently alter the workplace culture, organizational

measures must be improved in addition to interpersonal interventions. Possibilities for reducing

burnout among the health workforce during this pandemic include improving interoperability,

streamlining workflow management, organizing services that prioritize reducing workload,

facilitating discussion and opinion exchange, improving communication skills, providing for

adequate rest and exercise, hosting workshops on coping mechanisms, and developing policies

and procedures. These tactics could encourage a friendly and accommodating work environment

for healthcare practitioners (Sultana, et al., 2020).

I would like to conduct my research further at my place of employment, TidalHealth

Peninsula, to ask the question, “Do nurses who practice coping mechanisms and accept social

support have less burnout compared to nurses who do not practice coping mechanisms or accept

social support? People who participate in research studies significantly advance society. What

duties, given this reality, must researchers fulfill in order to safeguard research participants'

rights? Researchers must consider the ethical aspects of doing research, regardless of the type of

study, in order to safeguard participants from potential risks (Young & Langford, n.d., p. 69). I

would include human rights ideas into my study by keeping an eye out for real or possible

violation of patients', nurses', and other healthcare workers' rights in the practice setting. I would

do this while recognizing triggers, evaluating comfort, and upholding fundamental human rights.

The nursing implications of my research would be any potential clinical repercussions or

ramifications of the conclusions I came to during my investigation.

Table 1
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References

Brown, S. (2018). The Impact of Resiliency on Nurse Burnout: An Integrative Literature

Review. MEDSURG Nursing, 27(6), 349–378.

Clarke, E. (2021). Nurse burnout. https://nursejournal.org/resources/nurse-burnout/

Koontalay, A., Suksatan, W., Prabsangob, K., & Sadang, J. M. (2021). Healthcare Workers'

Burdens During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Systematic Review. Journal of

multidisciplinary healthcare, 14, 3015–3025. https://doi.org/10.2147/JMDH.S330041

Labrague, L. J. (2021). Psychological resilience, coping behaviours and social support among

health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review of quantitative

studies. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.13336

Sultana, A., Sharma, R., Hossain, M., Bhattacharya, S., Purohit, N. (2020). Burnout among

healthcare providers during COVID-19: challenges and evidence-based interventions.

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/M-Mahbub-Hossain/publication/

342687955_Burnout_among_healthcare_providers_during_COVID-

19_Challenges_and_evidence-based_interventions/links/5f008002a6fdcc4ca44b6998/

Burnout-among-healthcare-providers-during-COVID-19-Challenges-and-evidence-

based-interventions.pdf

Young, A., & Langford, R. (n.d.). Making a Difference with Nursing Research. Retrieved from

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