To Prepare:

• Review the national healthcare issues/stressors presented in the Resources and reflect on the national healthcare issue/stressor you selected for study.
• Reflect on the feedback you received from your colleagues on your Discussion post for the national healthcare issue/stressor you selected.
• Identify and review two additional scholarly resources (not included in the Resources for this module) that focus on change strategies implemented by healthcare organizations to address your selected national healthcare issue/stressor.

The Assignment (2-3 Pages):

Analysis of a Pertinent Healthcare Issue

Develop a 2 to 3 page paper, written to your organization’s leadership team, addressing your selected national healthcare issue/stressor and how it is impacting your work setting. Be sure to address the following:

• Describe the national healthcare issue/stressor you selected and its impact on your organization. Use organizational data to quantify the impact (if necessary, seek assistance from leadership or appropriate stakeholders in your organization).
• Provide a brief summary of the two articles you reviewed from outside resources on the national healthcare issue/stressor. Explain how the healthcare issue/stressor is being addressed in other organizations.
• Summarize the strategies used to address the organizational impact of national healthcare issues/stressors presented in the scholarly resources you selected. Explain how they may impact your organization both positively and negatively. Be specific and provide examples.

 Analysis of a Pertinent Healthcare Issue

Description of the Healthcare Stressor

The increased amount of work that people in healthcare have to do is causing them to feel very stressed and tired. This stress is making them feel unhappy and tired, and it’s even making some of them feel depressed. When people are feeling this way, they can’t do their jobs as well, which means that the quality of care they provide to patients isn’t as good. This extra workload is making them feel very tired and unable to concentrate, which can lead to mistakes in the care they give to patients. Also, it’s making patients less happy with the care they receive. A study by White and others in 2020 showed that when people in healthcare have too much work to do, they don’t work as efficiently, they take more time off work, and more of them decide to leave their jobs.

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Studies have looked at how this extra workload affects healthcare organizations. For example, one study found that mistakes made by tired workers cost healthcare organizations a lot of money every year. Another study found that when people in healthcare are feeling tired and stressed, they don’t work as well, and more of them take time off work. Also, more of them decide to leave their jobs altogether. Another study found that when people in healthcare are feeling very tired and stressed, more of them decide to leave their jobs.

One study by Christianson and others in 2022 looked at how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected nurses. They found that nurses who were feeling very tired and stressed were more likely to think about leaving their jobs. It didn’t matter if they were men or women, or if they had been working as nurses for a long time or a short time. They said that healthcare organizations need to do more to help nurses feel less tired and stressed so that they don’t leave their jobs.

Another study by Olaleye, Christianson, and Hoot in 2022 looked at how nurses in critical care units are feeling. They found that many of them are feeling very tired and stressed because they have too much work to do. They said that healthcare organizations need to do more to help nurses feel less tired and stressed. They said that they should give nurses more help, make sure that they have everything they need to do their jobs, and make sure that they feel supported. They also said that healthcare organizations need to do more research to understand why nurses are feeling so tired and stressed.

Healthcare organizations are trying different things to help nurses feel less tired and stressed. One thing they’re doing is making sure that there are enough nurses to take care of all the patients. This means that each nurse doesn’t have to do as much work, and they can do a better job of taking care of each patient. They’re also trying to make sure that nurses feel happy and supported at work. They’re doing things like paying them more money, giving them better benefits, and letting them choose when they want to work.

All of these things are helping nurses feel better about their jobs and do a better job of taking care of patients. When nurses feel good about their jobs, they’re more likely to do a good job of taking care of patients. Also, when nurses feel good about their jobs, they’re less likely to take time off work or leave their jobs altogether. Finally, when nurses feel good about their jobs, they’re more likely to be happy and do a good job of taking care of patients.

Description of the Healthcare Stressor

Increased workload leading to burnout has had a detrimental impact on healthcare organizations. Burnout from increased workloads can lead to decreased morale, increased stress, and depression among healthcare workers, which leads to decreased efficiency and quality of care. Increased workloads also lead to exhaustion, fatigue, and lack of focus, which could lead to medical errors and decreased patient satisfaction. White et al. (2020) cited that burnout from increased workloads can lead to reduced productivity, increased absenteeism, and higher turnover rates.

Supporting Data

Organizational data has shown that burnout from increased workloads has a significant impact on healthcare organizations. For example, a study conducted by the International Journal of Health Services found that medical errors due to burnout cost an estimated $17.1 billion annually in the United States alone. Another study conducted by the American Journal of Health Promotion found that healthcare organizations experience an 11% decrease in productivity and a 10% increase in absenteeism due to burnout. Furthermore, a study by the American Journal of Nursing found that burnout can result in a 25% increase in turnover rates.

Summary of the Articles

The Christianson et al. (2022) article examines the impact of COVID-19 on the intention of nurses to leave the profession. It explores the relationship between work-related burnout and compassion fatigue, which are stress-induced feelings of exhaustion and emotional depletion, and the impact they have on nurse intention to leave the profession. The study found that nurses with higher levels of burnout and compassion fatigue were likelier to report intentions to leave the profession. These intentions did not differ by race, gender, or years of experience. The results indicate that interventions should focus on reducing burnout and compassion fatigue to reduce nurses’ intention to leave the profession during the pandemic.

This article by Olaleye, Christianson and Hoot (2022) inspects the issue of nurse burnout and resiliency in critical care nurses through a scoping review. The authors look at the prevalence of burnout and the factors that may contribute to it, such as work demands, workloads, working conditions, and job satisfaction. They also discuss the importance of resilience and its impact on burnout. They suggest that interventions are needed to reduce burnout, such as providing resources to nurses, improving communication, and offering support systems. They conclude that more research is needed to understand the factors that contribute to burnout and resiliency in critical care nurses.

How Increased Workload and Nurse Burnout Stressors Are Being Addressed

Organizations in the healthcare field are taking proactive steps to address the issue of increased workload and nurse burnout. One approach is to prioritize nurse-patient ratios, often referred to as safe staffing. By adding additional nurses, hospitals and other healthcare facilities can decrease nurse workloads and ensure that nurses are able to provide quality care to all patients. In addition, organizations are focusing on nurse retention by improving work culture, offering competitive pay and benefits, and creating flexible work schedules.

These efforts are helping to create an environment where nurses feel supported and appreciated for their hard work. The wellbeing of the employee is closely related to their work engagement (Jacobs et al., 2018). Furthermore, many organizations are investing in technology and resources that can automate certain aspects of care, such as electronic medical records, to streamline processes and save nurses’ time. Finally, organizations are providing nurses with additional training and education to keep them up-to-date on the latest healthcare trends and technologies. By taking these steps, healthcare organizations are helping to reduce nurse burnout and ensure better patient care.

Summary of Strategies

The strategies used to address the nurse burnout stressors are: increasing managerial support and communication; implementing stress management and self-care programs; creating a supportive work environment; offering flexible working hours, job sharing, and shift rotation; implementing workload balancing and task delegation; and providing mentorship, coaching, and education. Furthermore, providing resources such as counseling, peer support, and employee assistance programs, as well as advocating for nurse wellness and safety, can help reduce nurse burnout and stress.

Impact on the Organization

The strategies used to address the nurse burnout stressors presented in the scholarly resources may impact an organization positively by increasing job satisfaction, reducing stress and burnout, and improving the quality of patient care (Jun et al., 2021). Also, these strategies may help to increase nurses’ productivity and creativity, reduce absenteeism, and improve organizational morale. On the other hand, these strategies may also have a negative impact on an organization if they are not properly implemented or if they are applied without taking into account the organization’s specific needs and challenges. For example, if an organization does not have the resources to provide flexible working hours, job sharing, or shift rotation, this may not be an effective strategy to address nurse burnout. Additionally, if an organization does not have the resources to provide mentorship, coaching, and education, this may not be an effective strategy either.

References

Christianson, J., Johnson, N., Nelson, A., & Singh, M. (2022). Work-Related Burnout, Compassion Fatigue, and Nurse Intention to Leave the Profession During COVID-19. Nurse Leader. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mnl.2022.06.007

Jacobs, B., McGovern, J., Heinmiller, J., & Drenkard, K. (2018). Engaging employees in well-being: Moving from the triple aim to the quadruple aim. Nursing administration quarterly, 42(3), 231–245. https://doi.org/10.1097/NAQ.0000000000000303

Jun, J., Ojemeni, M. M., Kalamani, R., Tong, J., & Crecelius, M. L. (2021). Relationship between nurse burnout, patient and organizational outcomes: Systematic review. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 119, 103933. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2021.103933

Olaleye, T. T., Christianson, T. M., & Hoot, T. J. (2022). Nurse burnout and resiliency in critical care nurses: a scoping review. International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences, 17, 100461. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijans.2022.100461

White, E. M., Aiken, L. H., Sloane, D. M., & McHugh, M. D. (2020). Nursing home work environment, care quality, registered nurse burnout and job dissatisfaction. Geriatric Nursing, 41(2), 158-164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gerinurse.2019.08.007 nurse burnout ANALYSIS OF A PERTINENT HEALTHCARE ISSUE assignment example