Nurse Burnout and the Work Environment Effects Essay Example

Nurse Burnout and the Work Environment: Effects Paper However, there has been many researches done on Magnet hospitals being able to decrease their nurse burnout rates and job satisfaction, but there hasnt been a study done on emergency nurses in Ireland on nurse burnout and their working environment (Mahoney, 2011). A review of research study published by Inurn Mahoney (201 1) is able to provide insight by data from a group of Emergency Room nurses in Ireland. This paper will provide information reviewing the background of the issue, the methods used, the researchers findings, ethical considerations, and the impact this study may have on urging practices in hospitals around the world. Background This research study focused determining if nurse burnout and the characteristics of the work environments of emergency nurses in Ireland went hand in hand. The researchers identified that previous research focused on hospitals that held Magnet Status attracted and retained nurses better that others (Mahoney, 201 1, p. 0). Its important to determine the relationship between burnout in emergency nurses and emergency department working environments due to the increase in nurse turnover and poor job satisfaction cores. (Mahoney, 2011). Methods Mahoney (2011) utilized literature and quantitative reviews to describe the relationship between nurse burnout and the work environment of the emergency nurses at Cork University Hospital Emergency Department. Wi th the recent nurse turnover rate being 40 percent the research study was limited. We will write a custom essay sample on Nurse Burnout and the Work Environment: Effects specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Nurse Burnout and the Work Environment: Effects specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Nurse Burnout and the Work Environment: Effects specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer There were 86 studies sent out to the emergency nurses. Both men and women participated in the study but the majority was women with experience between 6 and 10 years of service. The ages of the respondents averaged between 30 and 40 years of age. The literature review consisted of retrieving multiple articles pertaining to emergency room nurses burnout and contributing factors (Mahoney, 2011, p. 31 Multiple databases were explored by using key terms related to emergency nurse, stress, work environments and many more. There were 21 articles used. The researcher used The Mammals Burnout Inventory (MBA) Manual created by Mismatch and Jackson to identify three dimensions of burnout, they were: emotional exhaustion (E), diversification (DIP), and reduced personal accomplishment (as cited by Mahoney, 2011 Out of the three dimensions f burnout Mahoney (2011) kept emotional exhaustion and diversification because they related more to nurse burnout and the work environment. The second part used was the quantitative method which consisted Of using a form with two series of 22 statements about nurse burnout and 30 statements about the working environment. The MBA pertained to burnout and the statements about the working environment came from a 31- item from Lakes (2002) Nursing Work Index Practice Environment Scale (NNW-PEES) (as cited by Mahoney, 2011). The respondents, which completed the MBA, were able to indicate how often each of the 22 statements best matched their individual beliefs (Mahoney, 2011). The respondents that completed the 30 statements of the NNW-PEES were broken down into subcategories including adequate staffing nurse-physician relationship, leadership support, and nurse participating in hospital affairs (Mahoney, 2011, p. 1 Analysis Mahoganys (201 1) research shown that emergency departments nurses in Ireland were overburdened, ignored, undervalued by administration and that nurse burnout is somewhat related to nursing work environment. Respondents involved in hospital affairs went coincidentally with emotional exhaustion, which meant that participation in hospital affairs were less likely going to happen. The re lationships respondents had with physicians that were perceived as collegial were shown to be less emotionally exhausted and less dependencies. Mahoney, 201 1, p. 34). Increase teamwork, collaborate and reduce levels of burnout by encouraging and developing good relationship skills between nurses, leaders, and physicians. Teamwork was also part of the study but wasnt of any concern between the exponents and physicians. One of the last major items from the working environments was if administration listens to and responds to their employees gained a negative response of 89 percent of respondents (Mahoney, 201 1). The respondents results also shown to be overburdened, ignored inadequately staffed, undervalued by administration, but yet are expected to provide quality care to patients (Mahoney, 201 1). Respondents also noted that administration was punitive with learning from mistakes and lacked in recognizing nurse (Mahoney, 2011). Emotional exhaustion and personalization was significantly associated with the working environments suggesting that the better the nurses working environment the less likely they would suffer from nurse burnout (Mahoney, 2011 , p. 5). Nurses are vulnerable to physical, interpersonal, and social effects of burnout that could have serious implications for the nurse and the patient. It is the duty of health care organizations to maintain a healthy work environment for all healthcare professionals including nurses, to minimize the risk of burnout , provide quality care to patients, and ensure patient safety (Ballard, 2003). Nurse burnout and the work environment impact all areas of nursing so if there isnt a solution then organizations will always have a problem. Ethical Considerations Cork University clinical research ethics committee gave ethical approval regarding the research. A letter describing the purpose, duration and method of research accompanied each copy of the form. Respondents received information, which made them aware that their consent to participate in the study implies consent. This study was coded using Statistical Package for the Social Science Software to ensure their privacy was protected. Conclusion This research study implies that with an overall burnout level of 60. Percent is worrisome and could be closely tied to the work environment (Mahoney, 2011 This writer suggests that organizations including nurse administration can benefit from this information and should listening to their nurses frequently. Administrators need to be encouraged to work toward developing systems supporting nurses ability to experience and manage emotion in ways that improve the quality of patient care and reduce the possibility of burnout (E rickson Grove, 2007). Administration should make sure that when an issue is addressed or a concern is brought up that they truly follow through. If nurses fail to achieve providing quality care to their patients with excessive workloads it will lead to exhaustion, diversification, and demutualization and will most likely increase nurse turnover reducing the organizations capacity to meet the needs of the patients by providing quality care (Mahoney, 201 1 , p. 36). This writer sees the benefit of future studies of obtaining Magnet Status Hospitals in Ireland to see if the percentage of emotional exhaustion will drop from the reported rate of 67 percent.