The Impact of COVID-19 on Nurse Burnout

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to millions of deaths and hospitalizations all over the world. Not only has the pandemic increased anxiety among healthcare workers, but it has heightened the already challenging environment. Nurses have been especially impacted by the pandemic due to their essential role in patient care, as they spend a significant amount of time directly working with patient populations. Due to a shortage of personal protective equipment, uncertainty about regulations, and testing accuracy, nurses were put into situations where they could potentially contract COVID-19 themselves. Furthermore, due to staff shortages, nurses were moved to different wards where they have to adapt quickly to new responsibilities leading to high levels of stress and unfair expectations. Nurse burnout has strong implications on patient care as well. Nurses’ dissatisfaction with their jobs had led to an increase in adverse events such as medication errors, decreasing patient satisfaction with their hospital stay. Additionally, the adjustment to the pandemic in nursing schools has negatively affected nursing students’ perceptions of the field. Some suggestions to alleviate nurse burnout include prioritizing the wellbeing of all healthcare workers, involving nurses in administrative decision-making processes, and fostering a better work environment. If the nurse burnout issue is not addressed, patient care quality and hospital outcomes will decline, having a negative impact on all stakeholders. This review found that burnout has a negative impact on patient care satisfaction and the desire for students to pursue nursing. Interventions such as increasing nurse autonomy and decreasing patient to nurse ratios can protect nurses from burnout.