Nursing is a physically and emotionally demanding profession. Grueling job roles and challenging work environments, specifically in acute or critical care settings, place health care professionals at risk of burnout. Burnout in health care professionals results from a chronic negative work experience, leading to job dissatisfaction and, ultimately, poor patient outcomes. Symptoms and prevalence of burnout can be alleviated by implementing individual-focused strategies and minor modifications in work environments, job demands, and responsibilities. Currently, risk for burnout is increasing as COVID-19 challenges health care systems in which advanced practice nurses and other health care professionals struggle continuously to deliver high-quality patient care. In this article, the circumstances surrounding COVID-19 are considered and an overview is provided of burnout phenomenon, its causal factors, and its consequences. With consideration of current evidence in literature, I discuss some suggested strategies to improve resilience and facilitate well-being among health care professionals at individual and organizational levels.
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Summer 2021
Symposium: Understanding the Impact of COVID-19: Now and for the Future|
June 15 2021
Battling Burnout at the Frontlines of Health Care Amid COVID-19
Beverly Ann M. Howell, MSN, RN, ACCNS-AG, CEN, TCRN, CPEN
Beverly Ann M. Howell, MSN, RN, ACCNS-AG, CEN, TCRN, CPEN
Beverly Ann M. Howell is a Lieutenant, Nurse Corps, US Navy, Naval Medical Leader and Professional Development Command, PSC 482, Box 170, FPO, AP 96362 ([email protected]).
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AACN Adv Crit Care (2021) 32 (2): 195–203.
Citation
Beverly Ann M. Howell; Battling Burnout at the Frontlines of Health Care Amid COVID-19. AACN Adv Crit Care 15 June 2021; 32 (2): 195–203. doi: https://doi.org/10.4037/aacnacc2021454
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