This is a graded discussion: 50 points possible due Mar 7 ✓ Solved

This is a graded discussion: Reflect upon the selected national practice problem in Week 1 to address the following.

• From a local perspective, how does the practice problem impact nurses, nursing care, healthcare organizations, and the quality of care being provided?
• Identify the local key stakeholders related to the selected practice problem.
• Describe one approach used at your unique setting to address this problem. From your perspective, is this intervention effective in addressing the problem? Why or why not? If this practice problem is not addressed at your workplace, propose an intervention that could be implemented on a local scale to address the problem.

NEED at least 3 scholarly sources not older than 5 years and APA format 6 edition with in-text citation.

Paper For Above Instructions

The selected national practice problem for discussion is nurse burnout, a critical issue that affects healthcare delivery across various settings. This reflection explores how nurse burnout impacts nursing practice locally, identifies key stakeholders, discusses a current intervention, and proposes a new intervention. It is crucial to understand the implications of nurse burnout to enhance the quality of care provided to patients.

Impact of Nurse Burnout on Nursing Practice

Nurse burnout is characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment (Maslach & Leiter, 2016). Locally, this issue significantly impacts nurses, nursing care, and healthcare organizations. Nurses experiencing burnout are less engaged and may provide lower quality care, leading to negative patient outcomes (Dyrbye et al., 2017). The impact on nursing care is apparent in reduced staff morale, increased turnover rates, and absenteeism, which further strain healthcare organizations by creating staffing shortages and pushing remaining staff to work overtime (Kovner et al., 2016). The quality of care suffers as overworked and stressed nurses may overlook patient needs, leading to medication errors, inadequate patient education, and diminished patient satisfaction (Cimiotti et al., 2012).

Key Stakeholders in Nurse Burnout

Key stakeholders involved in addressing nurse burnout include hospital administration, nursing management, frontline nurses, and patients. Administration plays a crucial role in resource allocation and policy implementation that affects nurse workload and well-being. Nursing management is responsible for addressing staff concerns and advocating for supportive work environments. Frontline nurses are directly affected by organizational policies and are instrumental in identifying burnout symptoms and suggesting interventions. Patients are indirect stakeholders who experience the consequences of nurse burnout in terms of care quality and safety.

Current Intervention in My Setting

In my healthcare facility, a wellness program has been implemented to address nurse burnout. This program includes initiatives such as stress management workshops, mentorship opportunities, and regular staff check-ins to gauge well-being. From my perspective, this intervention is somewhat effective. It provides nurses with tools to cope with stress and fosters a supportive culture within the workplace. However, challenges remain in fully mitigating burnout as the program may not sufficiently address the systemic issues contributing to excessive workload and staffing shortages. Thus, while it helps in building resilience among nurses, it does not fully eliminate the root causes of burnout.

Proposed Intervention

If nurse burnout is inadequately addressed at my workplace, I propose implementing a peer support program aimed at developing a network of support among nurses. This program would match nurses with peers who they can turn to for guidance and emotional support. Additionally, it would involve regular group discussions to facilitate open communication about challenges faced in the workplace. Peer support has been shown to improve emotional well-being and job satisfaction among nursing staff (Maben et al., 2019). By providing an outlet for nurses to share experiences and coping strategies, we could enhance job satisfaction and potentially reduce burnout rates.

Conclusion

Nurse burnout is a pressing issue that significantly affects nursing practice, healthcare organizations, and patient care quality. Acknowledging the impact of this problem and the stakeholders involved is vital for developing effective interventions. While our current wellness program offers valuable resources, a peer support initiative could further bolster our efforts to combat nurse burnout at the local level. By creating a supportive network, we can enhance nurse well-being and ultimately improve patient outcomes.

References

• Cimiotti, J. P., Aiken, L. H., Sloane, D. M., & Wu, E. S. (2012). Nurse staffing, burnout, and health care-associated infections. American Journal of Infection Control, 40(6), 486-490.
• Dyrbye, L. N., Shanafelt, T. D., & Sinsky, C. A. (2017). Burnout among health care professionals: A call to action. Journal of the American Medical Association, 317(18), 1868-1869.
• Kovner, C., Brewer, C. S., Fatehi, F., & Jun, J. (2016). Nurse turnover: A literature review. International Nursing Review, 63(3), 325-338.
• Maben, J., Cornwell, J., Watson, R., & Cleary, P. (2019). Resilience and wellbeing in nursing: A review of the literature. Journal of Nursing Management, 27(3), 437-445.
• Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. P. (2016). Burnout: A guide to identifying burnout and pathways to recovery. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.