Nurses’ Burnout (Research, Video 1:43)

Burnout among nurses can be costly, not only for nurses personally, but also in terms of litigation, staff turnover, and risks to patient care. While many nurses love their jobs, when frustration becomes overwhelming, burnout can set in. A University of Pennsylvania study of 95,499 nurses revealed that the highest job dissatisfaction was among nurses who worked directly with patients in hospitals and nursing homes.

One irony is that a major concern of nurses is healthcare benefits, which are less than other white-collar workers. Satisfaction levels of patients in hospitals are lowered when there are more dissatisfied or burned out nurses working among them. This can also negatively impact the quality of care patients receive. There is no one easy solution to the problem of nurses’ burnout. Various job issues have to be addressed.

At personal levels, nurses can benefit from the caregiving of others while they serve as caregivers themselves. Ohio State University Medical Center has started the Stress, Trauma and Resilience (STAR) program to do just that. Nurses and other healthcare providers receive support, particularly on reducing stress, crisis management, and peer counseling. This video describes the program:

Frances Shani Parker, Author

Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes is available in paperback at many booksellers and in e-book form at Amazon and Barnes and Noble booksellers.

Hospice and Nursing Homes Blog

Reluctant End-of-Life Caregivers: Would You Do It Again? (Research, Video 3:10)

Most people don’t set out to become caregivers. Some enjoy nurturing loved ones and find the caregiving experience challenging, but rewarding. Few people talk about caregivers who feel depressed, guilty, trapped in a hole with no way out except the death of persons in their care. Maybe they were the only sibling living near the parent, the only relative or friend with resources to provide care, or the only person willing to step up when others refused. Whatever their reasons, they became caregivers reluctantly, never fully embracing the responsibility, and made the most of the situation. If they had a choice, would they do it again? Some say they would not.

In a study reported in the “Journal of Pain and Symptom Management,” factors associated with an unwillingness to become caregivers again were reviewed. Former caregivers of palliative care patients were interviewed. Comparisons between those who would do caregiving again and those who would not were made with these results:

1)   One in 13 (7.4%) former caregivers indicated that they would not provide such care again.

2)   One in six (16.5%) would only "probably care again."

3)   Increasing age and lower levels of education controlling for spousal relationship lessen the willingness to care again.

4)   Despite most active caregivers being willing to provide care again, a

proportion would not.

This Visiting Nurse Service of New York video titled “How to Relieve Stress When Caring for an Aging Parent or Spouse” presents ways to cope with caregiver stress.

Frances Shani Parker, Author

Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes is available in paperback at many booksellers and in e-book form at Amazon and Barnes and Noble booksellers.

Hospice and Nursing Homes Blog

Nurses and Nurse Assistants (CNA’s): Stress in Nursing Homes

Who knows stress better than the people who carry it around everyday? These research results came directly from nurses and nurse assistants (CNA’s) in twenty-five nursing homes in North Carolina. This is what they had to say:

Nurses:

The situations most stressful for nurses were not having enough staff, having too much work to do, interruptions, having non-health professionals determine how they do their jobs, poor pay, and being responsible for patients' outcomes. Nurses were more likely than nurse assistants to report stress because non-health professionals (e.g. surveyors) determine how they must perform their services.

Nurse Assistants (CNA’s):

The most stressful situations for nurse assistants included poor pay, not enough staff, and too much work to do. Nurse assistants were more likely than nurses to report stress because they do not have adequate information regarding patients' conditions.

Conclusions:

The findings of this study support the need to increase recognition for nursing, improve staffing, and provide competitive compensation in nursing homes. Were you surprised by these results? I wasn’t either. But it’s still another validation of the staff stress problems and the need for positive changes in nursing home reform.

You can read more about this research in the "Journal of the American Medical Directors Association.”

Frances Shani Parker, Author
"Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes”
Hospice and Nursing Homes Blog