Tips for Addressing (and Preventing) Healthcare Worker Burnout

Introduction?

The intricate balance of providing quality patient care, navigating long hours and managing administrative duties has created a scenario where fatigue and burnout aren't just common for healthcare workers, but expected.??

Understanding the root causes of healthcare worker fatigue and implementing organizational changes to support your employees’ health and prevent burnout are essential for improving business outcomes.??

Burnout: A Deeper Look?

Often used interchangeably with fatigue, burnout is a prolonged response to chronic emotional and interpersonal stressors on the job. It's more than just having a bad day — it's a systemic issue that affects many workers in the healthcare profession.?

Physicians, nurses, PAs and other healthcare providers are tasked with juggling patient care, administrative duties and more — often while working long hours in understaffed units. These competing priorities can quickly lead to feelings of stress and burnout.?

Consider these findings from 2022 studies:?

• 53% of physicians report experiencing feelings of burnout, and 56% of physicians report experiencing high levels of stress due to factors like work overload and administrative tasks.?

• One in three physician assistants report experiencing feelings of burnout.?
• 47% of nurses reported experiencing work overload, and 41% reported intentions to leave their jobs within two years.?

When left unaddressed, burnout and fatigue directly correlate with high workforce turnover and low employee engagement. A recent advisory published by the U.S. surgeon general’s office highlighted additional factors associated with burnout:?

• Limited flexibility, autonomy and voice.?
• Limited time with patients.?

• Burdensome administrative work.?

How Burnout Impacts Your Bottom Line?

In addition to the negative impact and ethical implications burnout has on healthcare workers’ physical and emotional well-being, it also has serious financial implications for health systems.??

From an economic standpoint, burnout is estimated to cost the U.S. healthcare system upwards of $4.6 billion a year in lost billings — and that is likely an underestimate when you consider downstream effects like patient dissatisfaction, increased errors and the impact on other staff who must step in to fill in gaps (which can contribute to increased turnover in other areas).?

That’s why it makes sense — financially and otherwise — to invest in organizational initiatives to address and prevent burnout.?

Solutions to Address and Prevent Burnout and Fatigue?

Addressing burnout requires a systematic approach, innovative solutions and, most importantly, the active involvement of those affected — your staff.?

Champion Employee Wellbeing?

Burnout is not an individual problem, and sustaining an empowered healthcare workforce requires the entire organization to support and build a culture that prioritizes well-being.??

Here are a few common practices shown to have positive outcomes for healthcare organizations:?

• Actively seeking feedback from your staff and allowing them to share feedback confidentially if desired.?
• Incorporating staff input in future organizational decisions and keeping open lines of communication about ongoing initiatives.?
• Creating opportunities for your staff to regularly destress or decompress.?
• Ensuring employees are aware of existing support programs that may promote well-being.??
• Measuring employee satisfaction and well-being annually to create benchmarks and evaluating changes over time.?

• Finding opportunities to reward or acknowledge team members for their accomplishments.?
• Increasing interactions between colleagues to foster a more connected community at work.?

Empower Your Staff with Flexible Scheduling?

One of the best ways to properly support healthcare workers delivering care is to offer greater scheduling flexibility. It not only increases efficiency but can also improve the well-being of frontline workers. This could include:?

• Ensuring schedules align with patient volume and needs.?

• Establishing policies that pave the way for better work-life balance.?
• Introducing technology and systems to optimize staffing and minimize fatigue.?
• Allowing nurse leaders and other managers to control staffing decisions.?

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Involving frontline team members and giving them more control over their scheduling can boost their satisfaction and ensure you’re getting valuable insights from those individuals working directly at the point of care.?

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Use AI and Machine Learning for More Efficient Workforce Planning?

New technologies are emerging as potential allies for healthcare systems confronting the multidimensional challenges associated with burnout.? AI and machine learning have the potential to transform healthcare workforce planning for healthcare workers and executives alike.??

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Artificial intelligence and automation can assist with several aspects of healthcare staffing and labor management to help prevent burnout. For example:?

• Predictive analytics forecast patient volume and acuity levels, allowing for better staff-patient ratios and workforce planning.?
• Automated scheduling based on preset department parameters, individual preferences and hospital guidelines can reduce the administrative burden of manual schedule creation while improving accuracy.?
• App-based scheduling platforms can allow nurses to set their own schedule and pick up shifts that match their availability.?
• Optimized resource allocation as a result of accurate patient influx predictions ensures resources are used efficiently while guarding against under- and over-staffing.??
• Reimagined staffing models can provide greater flexibility to healthcare workers by offering multiple shift durations in areas of high variability.?

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Integrating AI into your workforce planning isn’t just a tech upgrade — it's a strategic move. By intertwining technological solutions like AI with traditional workforce planning methods, you can increase the precision of your workforce planning, optimize labor costs and continue to deliver uncompromised patient care. You can also alleviate the administrative burden on unit managers while increasing staff satisfaction and retention.??

Conclusion?

Nurses, physicians and other providers are at the frontlines of patient care, making their well-being and job satisfaction paramount to delivering positive patient outcomes. By investing in their well-being and taking a more data-driven approach to staffing, you can better address and prevent the root causes of burnout within your organization. The strategies outlined here offer a roadmap to developing engaged, energized teams ready to deliver outstanding care.?

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