Teamwork and clinician burnout in Swiss intensive care: the predictive role of workload, and demographic and unit characteristics

Effects of interprofessional practice on nursing workload in hospitals: A systematic review

OBJECTIVE

To synthesise scientific evidence on interprofessional practice in hospital care and the effects on nursing workload.

METHODS

Systematic mixed method review, registered in PROSPERO (CRD42021225627) and conducted in the following databases: CINAHL, Medline, Web of Science and Scopus, with no restrictions on the publication period of the studies. Primary studies were recruited on nurses' interprofessional practice (actions and interactions with other professional categories) in hospitals and the effects on one or more dimensions of nursing workload (quantitative, qualitative, physical, cognitive, emotional, time and variation). Scientific articles available in open access, in English, Spanish or Portuguese, were included. The searches were carried out in January 2021. The studies were evaluated by pairs of independent researchers to verify methodological quality, through the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool, and data extraction. To summarise the studies, thematic analysis was adopted.

RESULTS

A total of 1774 publications were assessed for eligibility and 17 studies were included. Of these, two were mixed methods, four were qualitative, and 11 were quantitative, published between 2011 and 2020. The main scenarios investigated were Intensive Care Units and/or Inpatient Units. During data analysis, three thematic categories emerged: Interprofessional practice in coping with emotional overload; Time dedicated by nurses to professional communication; and Working conditions and patient care. The third category consisted of three subthemes: Conflict and flexibility in the context of practice; Working conditions and interprofessional practice; and Effects on patient care.

CONCLUSIONS

The evidence points to the emotional overload of nurses in the face of uncooperative practices. Interprofessional actions, especially communicative ones, demand nurses' time and impact the care provided. The results contribute to political decisions and health work management.

Evaluation of the relationship between individual workload perception and compliance with isolation measures of emergency and critical care nurses

BACKGROUND

As a result of the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, compliance with isolation measures has become challenging.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the individual workload perception and compliance with isolation measures of nurses working in the emergency service and critical care unit during the COVID-19 outbreak.

METHODS

This descriptive correlational study was carried out in the emergency service and critical care unit of a public hospital between April 20 and May 20, 2021. A total of 153 nurses working in the emergency service and critical care unit who agreed to participate in the study were included in the study.

RESULTS

Nurses from a state hospital's emergency department and critical care unit (n = 153) were included in the study sample. The impression of overall individual workload by nurses and compliance with isolation (r = 0.153; p <  0.05) had a positive, weak, and significant relationship. The Isolation Measures Compliance Scale resulted in a mean score of 70.70±5.35. The mean score on the Individual Workload Scale for nurses was moderate (3.22±0.54).

CONCLUSION

The low perception of individual workload of nurses working in the emergency service and critical care unit during the COVID-19 pandemic increased the compliance with isolation measures.

Association of burnout and intention-to-leave the profession with work environment: A nationwide cross-sectional study among Belgian intensive care nurses after two years of pandemic

BACKGROUND

Intensive care unit (ICU) nurses are at an increased risk of burnout and may have an intention-to-leave their jobs. The COVID-19 pandemic may increase this risk.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to describe the prevalence of burnout risk and intention-to-leave the job and nursing profession among ICU nurses and to analyse the relationships between these variables and the work environment after two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

DESIGN

A national cross-sectional survey of all nurses working in Belgian ICUs was conducted between December 2021 and January 2022 during the 4th and 5th waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium. The Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index (PES-NWI) was used to measure the work environment, intention-to-leave the hospital and/or the profession was assessed. The risk of burnout was assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory scale including emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, and reduced personal accomplishment.

SETTING

Nurses in 78 out of 123 Belgian hospital sites with an ICU participated in the survey.

PARTICIPANTS

2321 out of 4851 nurses (47.8%) completed the entire online survey.

RESULTS

The median overall risk of burnout per hospital site (high risk in all three subdimensions) was 17.6% [P25: 10.0 - P75: 28.8] and the median proportion of nurses with a high risk in at least one subdimension of burnout in Belgian ICUs was 71.6% [56.7-82.7]. A median of 42.9% [32.1-57.1] of ICU nurses stated that they intended-to-leave the job and 23.8% [15.4-36.8] stated an intent-to-leave the profession. The median overall score of agreement with the presence of positive aspects in the work environment was 49.0% [44.8-55.8]. Overall, nurses working in the top 25% of best-performing hospital sites with regard to work environment had a statistically significant lower risk of burnout and intention-to-leave the job and profession compared to those in the lowest performing 25% of hospital sites. Patient-to-nurse ratio in the worst performing quartile was associated with a higher risk for emotional exhaustion (OR = 1.53, 95% CI:1.04-2.26) and depersonalisation (OR = 1.48, 95% CI:1.03-2.13) and intention-to-leave the job (OR = 1.46, 95% CI:1.03-2.05).

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, a high prevalence of burnout risk and intention-to-leave the job and nursing profession was observed after two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, there was substantial variation across hospital sites which was associated with the quality of the work environment.

TWEETABLE ABSTRACT

"Burnout & intention to leave was high for Belgian ICU nurses after 2 years of COVID, but wellbeing was better with high quality work environments and more favourable patient to nurse ratios".

Prevalence of burnout risk and factors associated with burnout risk among ICU nurses during the COVID-19 outbreak in French speaking Belgium

OBJECTIVE

Burnout is a global work-related phenomenon. Intensive care unit (ICU) nurses are at risk of burnout and the COVID-19 pandemic may increase this risk. The objectives of this study were to assess the prevalence of burnout risk and identify risk factors among ICU nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Web-based survey performed during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in French speaking Belgium.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Risk of burnout was assessed with the Maslach Burnout Inventory scale.

RESULTS

A total of 1135 ICU nurses responded to the questionnaire. The overall prevalence of burnout risk was 68%. A total of 29% of ICU nurses were at risk of depersonalisation (DP), 31% of reduced personal accomplishment (PA), and 38% of emotional exhaustion (EE). A 1:3 nurse-to-patient ratio increased the risk of EE (OR = 1.77, 95% CI: 1.07-2.95) and DP (OR = 1.38, 95% CI: 1.09-2.40). Those who reported having a higher perceived workload during the COVID-19 pandemic were at higher risk for all dimensions of burnout. Shortage of personal protective equipment increased the risk of EE (OR = 1.78, 95% CI: 1.35-3.34) and nurses who reported having symptoms of COVID-19 without being tested were at higher risk of EE (OR = 1.40, 95% CI: 1.68-1.87).

CONCLUSIONS

Two-thirds of ICU nurses were at risk of burnout and this risk was associated with their working conditions during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. We recommend monitoring the risk of burnout and implementing interventions to prevent and manage it, taking into account the factors identified in this study.

Job Burnout Among Primary Healthcare Workers in Rural China: A Multilevel Analysis

The health workers in rural primary care systems are at the increasing risk of job burnout. To explore the prevalence and associated factors of the job burnout among the primary healthcare worker in rural China, a cross-sectional survey was conducted among 15,627 participants in 459 township hospitals from six provinces. A combination of stratified multi-stage sampling and cluster sampling method, and a self-administrated questionnaire with the Chinese version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Scale (MBI-GS) were used in the investigation. Multilevel regression analyses were used to examine the potential associated factors on both individual and organisational levels. 47.6% of respondents were experiencing moderate burnout, and 3.3% were in severe burnout. Professionals working for over 40 h per week, at young age, with a college degree, and with professional titles at medium or high rank reported a higher degree of job burnout. At the institutional level, the high ratio of performance-based salary was associated with a higher level of depersonalization. Burnout has become prevalent among the primary healthcare workers in rural China, and multiple strategies are needed to reduce the work stress and some high-risk groups’ vulnerability to job burnout.