The Impacts of Nurse Staff Burnout on Patient Satisfaction

Abstract

This study aims at identifying how leaders can mitigate the symptoms of burnout namely emotional exhaustion, lack of accomplishment and depersonalization in nurses. The problem identified was the ongoing nurse burnout which was as a result of working long shifts daily with no time to rest, which in turn affected the quality of patient care and the health of the nurses. The suggested solution incorporated the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) tool with SBAR communication to assess the nurses’ workload, measure their emotional exhaustion and arrange the shifts accordingly. The implementation process aimed at building the required leadership behaviors to minimize the nurse burnout. This involved having to get the necessary approvals to put the strategies in place. In order to ensure that the process is as effective as possible, the author compiled a literature review of evidence-based practices that could be adopted from other organizations. There was a meeting held with all the stakeholders to discuss and come up with a way on how this strategy would influence the work environment. Then the leader empowerment practice policies were developed in order to facilitate the process of the change in the organizational culture. A two-week training session was conducted for the nurses where they were taught the symptoms of burnout, the ways and tools on how to identify burnout and practices that can facilitate change. The effectiveness of the project was assessed by the successes achieved in increasing collaboration and cooperation between the stakeholders and the lessons learnt that may help in future projects..