“Put simply, we all know that burnout exists and that it’s getting worse. Let’s leave it and move on. Let’s concentrate on what we all know can alleviate burnout…
It’s from this month Point of view“Research on burnout on the crossroads”, by Tim Cunningham and Sharon Pappas. Some readers could also be relieved by such a cheeky statement: let’s get to the solutions, say the authors. Let’s spend money, time and energy researching to seek out clearer details about what works and what doesn’t.
A two-pronged approach.
The authors see an important and bonafide place to check what works and what doesn’t in wellness initiatives geared toward supporting “personal immunity” through self-care (an increasingly nebulous term itself).
However, they caution against placing responsibility on nurses and ignoring real systemic problems.
With this in mind, they call for research that takes into consideration primarily systemic aspects:
“It’s common sense that burnout and work experience are closely related. It’s time to take a closer look at staffing, working hours, team nursing, fair pay and other work environment factors that can reduce burnout.”
In search of a plan based on nurses’ data and experience.
The ultimate goal, the authors write, is to create a “blueprint” to raised align workplace systems and the varieties of support offered to nurses with research findings, much of it about nurses and conducted by nurses.
Too optimistic? Read one-page essay and share with us your thoughts on current and future nursing research priorities for burnout and its opposite, no matter how we define the latter.
