Introduction
Burnout in the workplace is one of the most critical problems in many areas of human activity. It can lead to a deterioration in the mental and physical health of the employee himself and worsen the atmosphere in the work team, leading to staff turnover. The problem is especially acute in medicine, where burnout of employees can lead to the loss of essential personnel, severe mistakes, and other negative consequences. This paper analyzes two studies to examine burnout management tools in a healthcare organization that will affect nursing turnover compared to existing retention strategies – this statement is the PICOT Question of this work. It also provides ethical considerations for the implementation of such tools and research.
Summary of Studies
The first study was specific and focused more directly on the burnout process. Adams et al. tried to find a positive trend in the relationship between evidence-based intervention with such tools and a decrease in burnout among nurses in the emergency department (2019). The objective of this study was to try to reduce the expected turnover of staff within healthcare facilities and reduce the percentage of burnout. The Cultural Change Toolkit involves both leadership and nurses to increase communication, support, and engagement in collaborative problem solving (Adams et al., 2019). The relevance of the study and the research question is confirmed by the presence of this problem with staff turnover precisely because of burnout. Psychologically complex specific features of the profession have worsened the state of the current pandemic.
The second study looks more at job satisfaction as a significant predictor of burnout and turnover. Every medical professional is becoming more and more valuable every day due to the lack of personnel and the increasing costs of this type of care. Cultural and social conditions dictate several factors that have a direct impact on satisfaction. They range in varying degrees from human to organizational (Al Maqbali, 2015). Personality factors are often cited for comparison, while the mainstream literature focuses on organizational factors. Many of them reflect the quality of working conditions: availability of equipment, consistency with management, comfortable organization of workspace and time, and many others (Al Maqbali, 2015). The aim of this study, as well as the objective, was to classify any factors affecting nursing job satisfaction in order to prevent burnout and turnover.
Support the Nursing Practice
The first study is relatively narrow, as it looks at the practice in emergency care. It will be beneficial for the same medical departments, and, as a result, the use of the listed tools will be able to bear fruit in approximate relation to the results (Adams et al., 2019). Aimed directly at burnout, this research could side-by-side reduce turnover rates and therefore increase work engagement and satisfaction. The second study looks at a broader range of tools for dealing with low satisfaction resulting from turnover and burnout. It will help understand the role of personality factors in different situations and classify and further explore the complexity of organizational issues that are relevant in the context of satisfaction (Al Maqbali, 2015). Therefore, both studies support the PICOT question posed at the beginning of this paper.
Methods of Study
The first study implemented scientific results directly into practice, measuring application. The practice included meaningful recognition, shared decision-making, and increased leadership participation and support (Adams et al., 2019). A relatively small sample of 30 participants was studied using the expected turnover scale and the Oldenburg burnout inventory (Adams et al., 2019). The second study was purely informative, a review, and an attempt at classification. As a consequence, it was more general but broader, highlighting not only aspects of burnout in the context of emergency care but also all kinds of determinants of satisfaction (Al Maqbali, 2015). The method from the first study has the advantage of being specific, specific, and able to obtain quantitative data, but its limitation is its narrow application in practice. The method from the second study has the advantages of qualitative analysis but is limited to the practical use of each considered tool since they require a more detailed study.
Results of Study
The first study fully justified the main goals and objectives. The expected turnover and burnout rates were reduced by a small number of a percent (Adams et al., 2019). Despite the small sample size, paired t-test analysis showed the statistical significance of the results (Adams et al., 2019). Al Maqbali, in a second study, attempted to classify factors of nursing satisfaction in the workplace and obtained two groups of factors, each of which had a role in scientific research (2015). Personal and biological factors had an undeniable influence on the process of burnout and fluidity; however, it is rather difficult to track patterns in such a group due to their individual nature (Al Maqbali, 2015). The full range of organizational factors was easier to classify, as most case studies showed clear patterns and relationships between them and satisfaction (Al Maqbali, 2015). Taken together, both studies are of significant value for nursing practice since they give access to the entire range of qualitative factors and the quantitative expression of the results.
Ethical Considerations
The first study involved intervention in the regular work of nurses and an assessment of their performance before and after the introduction of a set of changes. This interference was attributed to scientific importance. In addition, each participant remained anonymous and could make suggestions for workflow changes to reduce the risk of burnout (Adams et al., 2019). In the second study, the authors address the issue of the personal qualities of a nurse, citing various studies in this area. However, this problem was also solved only by fair indication of a particular personal quality – age, nationality, or other, and by bringing anonymous results in order to preserve ethics. Thus, the primary tool for observing ethical standards is to preserve the anonymity of participants to formulate the research objectives precisely, which should be oriented towards the improvement of working conditions.
Conclusion
The two studies considered in this paper provide an opportunity for a deep understanding of the posed PICOT question. The literature review provides a qualitative assessment of contemporary methods and determinants of satisfaction, providing a complete course of introductory and essential knowledge. Research into the implementation of inexpensive and effective tools has quantified the expected burnout and turnover in practice. A two-sided view of the same problem provides the foundation for further development of aspects of the problem. What is more, their possible implementation in practice to improve quantitative indicators and the necessary training to work with the qualitative aspect of the information received are also significant for further studies.
References
Adams, A., Hollingsworth, A., & Osman, A. (2019). The implementation of a cultural change toolkit to reduce nursing burnout and mitigate nurse turnover in the emergency department. Journal of Emergency Nursing, 45(4), 452-456. Web.
Al Maqbali, M. A. (2015). Factors that influence nurses’ job satisfaction: A literature review. Nursing Management, 22(2). Web.