A review of the potential impact of professional nurse advocates in reducing stress and burnout in district nursing

Abstract

Background: Stress and burnout has been leading to increased levels of absences, errors and complaints in district nursing. This problem appears to be worsening, necessitating the need for change and introducing new interventions to reverse this trend. The Professional Nurse Advocate (PNA) role is relatively new within nursing and their assitance in such instances could be of benefit to district nursing. Aim: This article aims to explore the potential role of PNAs in district nursing and whether their introduction to community settings could help reduce levels of stress, burnout and absenteeism. Method: The literature is explored with relation to the field of district nursing practice and consideration is given to why burnout is occurring, how PNAs could work to reduce this (using A-EQUIP model), and barriers that could exist. Findings: Burnout in district nursing is a significant problem that can affect quality of patient care. There is clear indication that PNAs, if used effectively, could reduce stress and burnout, and consequently lead to improved attendance, retention and quality of patient care. Conclusion: There is evidence for the potential benefits of PNAs within district nursing in terms of reducing burnout and improving patient care.