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Nurse Burnout and Safety of Coronavirus Patients

Michele R. Quinones
College of Nursing, Grand Canyon University
NRS-493-O503: Professional Capstone and Practicum
Professor Chris Bartholomew
03/14/2021

Nurse Burnout and Safety of Coronavirus Patients

Nurse burnout is an ongoing problem affecting the safety of coronavirus patients worldwide. The coronavirus pandemic has brought challenges to the health care systems globally and mainly in the U.S. With this happening, nurses at the frontline have been the hit hardest which is becoming eminent with the rising numbers of COVID-19 patients. The level of burnout among nurses has exacerbated in the past year since the onset of the pandemic. With these stress levels increasing, the safety of patients suffering from the virus is at stake since many nurses have resorted to leaving their professions due to these numbers (Zhang et al., 2020). Building on this fact, this paper, guided by the PICOT format, will assess the effects of nurses’ burnout and the safety of COVID-19 patients’ outcomes. This paper will answer the question; in COVID-19 patients, does implementing psychological support for burnout nurses compared to other strategies improve these patients’ safety over 2 months.

Problem and Purpose

The coronavirus has become a test of the robustness of the health care systems in the world. The resurging numbers of cases today have put pressure on the already existing vulnerable system, which has been evidenced by the high number of deaths related to this disease. These numbers are taking a toll on nurses at the forefront of this war and have had to experience a high level of burnout due to this pandemic (Zhang et al., 2020). Burnout syndrome, which is a state of emotional exhaustion, has become the cause of high mortality rates from the disease. Zhang et al. (2020) suggest that since the burnouts have resulted from stress and stressors related to the families, the way to prevent nurse burnout in this pandemic is by implementing psychological support strategies. They agree that nurses have experienced high-stress levels due to overwhelming work associated with the rising numbers. They also do not have adequate personnel protective equipment. On the other hand, most trainee nurses lack the knowledge of pathogens and the consequence of direct contact with patients.
Psychological support strategy is key in dealing with the aggravating numbers of stress in nurses at the forefront of this war. Stressed nurses tend to misdiagnose a particular disease (Hall et al., 2016). With coronavirus, high-stress level among frontline nurses has seen patients left without medical assistance since these caregivers have been overwhelmed with work. Zhang et al. (2020), argue that the uncertain hospital environment has become the major contributor to nurse burnout. When this happens, patients in need of critical attention are left to suffer and have to spend long days in the hospital (Hall et al., 2016). They, therefore, argue that while financial incentives might be a way to increase the motivation of nurses and primarily those in training, psychological support is an essential strategy in improving their welfare which reflects positively to the kind of support and safety they accord to their patients. Accordingly, adopting psychological strategies for burnout nurses leads to increased safety for COVID-19 patients who are most in need of attention through this pandemic.

The PICOT

The PICOT question is asked; in COVID-19 patients, does implementing psychological support for burnout nurses compared to other strategies improve patients’ safety, over 2 months? The target population (P) for this essay was the coronavirus patients. The nursing intervention (I) in this case was the implementation of psychological strategies, the comparisons (C) were other strategies. The outcome (O) was the safety of COVID-19 patients, which is determined by the quality care given to them. The time frame (T) to assess this intervention will be over 2 months. The coronavirus has been a test to the capability of many health care systems in the world. The increasing numbers have seen the level of nurses’ burnout increasing. Consequently, burnout has witnessed an increase in the number of COVID-19 related deaths in the U.S. It has, therefore, become essential to implement psychological strategies to help the nurses at the frontline who have become victims of burnout occasioned by the changing work environment. Helping nurse burnout is a method that will improve patient outcomes and defiantly the outcome of coronavirus sickened patients.

References

Hall, L. H., Johnson, J., Watt, I., Tsipa, A., & O’Connor, D. B. (2016). Healthcare staff wellbeing, burnout, and patient safety: a systematic review. PloS one, 11(7), e0159015.
Zhang, Y., Wang, C., Pan, W., Zheng, J., Gao, J., Huang, X. … & Zhu, C. (2020). Stress, burnout, and coping strategies of frontline nurses during the COVID-19 epidemic in Wuhan and Shanghai, China. Frontiers in psychiatry, 11, 1154.