Evidence-Based Recommendations To Address Nurse Burnout: A Best Practice Approach

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis was to develop a set of evidence-based recommendations that address and prevent burnout among registered nurses. Burnout is a psychological syndrome that results from prolonged stress at the job (Adriaenssens, De Gucht, & Maes, 2014). Registered nurses are at a particularly high risk for burnout due to the nature of their work, as nurses are intensely involved with their patients’ problems (Canadas-De la Fuente et al., 2015; Maslach, Jackson, & Leiter, 1997). High prevalence coupled with the negative outcomes of nurse burnout indicate a pressing need for an intervention. A literature review was conducted using search terms “nurse,” “burnout,” “intervention,” and “prevention” in Cochrane, PubMed, and CINAHL databases. Results suggested that several personal and organizational determinants and interventions could prevent and reduce nurse burnout. Evidence-based recommendations were derived from current nurse burnout literature. The proposed implementation method of the recommendations includes a presentation to student nurses with techniques to prevent and address burnout, as new graduate nurses are at highest risk of burnout (Rudman & Gustavsson, 2011). The students will practice an evidence-based recommendation that could reduce burnout for eight weeks. The implementation will be evaluated by a reflection journal and post-survey.