Banish the Burnout:

Taking Care of Care Providers

(CME Eligible)

What is the problem? (C2)

Nursing is an emotionally demanding profession and deficiencies in nurses’ mental well-being, characterized by low vitality and common mental disorders, have been linked to low productivity, absenteeism and errors on the job.

Studies have repeatedly shown that patients cared for on units that nurses characterized as having “adequate staff, good administrative support for nursing care, and good relations between doctors and nurses” were more than twice likely as other patients to report high satisfaction with their care, and their nurses reported significantly lower burnout.

More critically, it has been found that exhaustion is associated with greater use of workarounds in medication administration processes. When nurses were more satisfied with the medication administration process, exhausted nurses were less likely to engage in workarounds.

Improvements in nurses’ work environments in hospitals have the potential to simultaneously reduce nurses’ high levels of job burnout and risk of turnover and increase patients’ satisfaction with their care.

How do we know this is a problem? (C2)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2904602/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22261669

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25904820

Why does this problem exist? (C2)

Lack of adequate training in self-care – mentally, physically and emotionally
Lack strategies to apply knowledge amid hectic schedules
Insufficient support from supervisors for self-care
Time seems insufficient to support the needs of the team
Lack of awareness in supervisors that self-care creates a better long term outcome for all

What do attendees need? (C2)

Attendees need education on how self-care and rebalancing their own emotional equilibrium is critical to their performance on the job, their life outside of work and their own well-being. interactions. Supervisors need to be exposed to the fact that improved attention to nurses’ emotional well-being improves outcomes.

Learning Objectives (C3)

At the conclusion of this activity, the learners will be able to:

Remember why their work is so precious to society specifically the patients and their families
Understand how their own exhaustion puts themselves and their patients at risk
Know and apply the “Pain Processing Technique” – enabling quick, healthier emotional recovery from the effects of continual exposure to people experiencing pain and trauma
Take their own temperature with an easy-to-learn, effective self-monitoring technique, which will indicate which action to take next to resume optimal performance
Know, remember and apply the 5 Best Caregiver Coping Strategies – taking care of themselves so that their jobs don’t damage their careers or their personal lives
Create their own customized short “recovery ritual” — to be used at work or on the way home
How to come into work energized and positive every day
Understand the direct link between overwhelm and burnout, poor performance, patient satisfaction and errors – and why it is so critical for nurses and supervisors to create a culture that allows for emotional well-being, despite the pace of the typical hospital environment
Apply this new knowledge to their work performance so it becomes habitual

Educational Delivery Method (C5):

(IMQ’s CLC requirement)

Lecture
Question and answer session
Handout for future reference

Rationale for Delivery Method (C5):

Knowledge conveyed in a short time
Interactivity helps cement the learning process
Application of practical knowledge applies to all aspects of the nurse’s life and career

Professional Competencies (C6):

□ Practice Based Learning and Improvement – Improvements in nurses’ work environments in hospitals have the potential to simultaneously reduce nurses’ high levels of job burnout and risk of turnover; reduce errors and increase patients’ satisfaction with their care.

□ Professionalism – Significant reduction in nurse stress allows for greater patience and unity among the nursing staff; facilitates smoother communication between them and their colleagues; and allows for greater team harmony.

WENDY IS AVAILABLE FOR ONLINE ACTIVITIES

Wendy Keller is available for web-based activities as well as in-person activities. She can also produce pre- and post-test questions if your organization requests for compliance with the AMA’s assessment requirement for online activities.