Capstone Change Project Evaluation Plan
Studies have shown high rates of burnout among nurses. Burnout in nurses results from long-term stress in the workplace, and consists of three dimensions namely emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment, which can lead to decreased work efficiency, increased absenteeism, reduced liability and efficiency, more conflicts, job change, interpersonal conflicts with colleagues, increased health costs, personnel turnover, behavioral and physical changes, substance abuse, and reduced quality of services provided to patients followed by patient dissatisfaction with medical services, all of which have a negative effect on patients. Therefore, identification and prevention of burnout is of paramount (Ghavidel, Fallahi-Khoshknab, Molavynejad & Zarea, 2019). Also, if burnout is not rectified over time, many nurses will leave their organizations or the nursing profession entirely if burnout is experienced constantly. Capstone Change Project Evaluation Plan This would be very undesirable for patient outcomes and for the nursing profession as a whole as this will create more shortage of nurses, which is already an issue. Research has proven that effective leadership in an organization reduces nurse burnout. Effective nursing leadership creates a working environment that supports nurses, lessening burnout and increasing nurse retention (Mudallal, Othman & Al Hassan, 2017). So, my interventions to improve retention of nurses related to burnout fall under the leadership approach. Literature had proven that some interventions leaders can utilize to reduce their nurses’ burnout at work include: workforce motivation for nurses, improving job satisfaction, creating an organizational culture that is supportive of nurses and ensuring that their nurses care psychologically stable. Capstone Change Project Evaluation Plan
If my plan were to be implemented, I would evaluate my plan by making phone calls to my organization to determine if the retention rate of nurses has actually improved. It would be important for me to take this step in order to determine if the interventions were effective. I will be communicating with nurse leaders and managers to see if they actually utilized the evidence-based practice suggestions to reduce burnout. I will also be speaking to nurses to determine if their levels of burnout have decreased with leadership initiated interventions. It would also be appropriate to follow up with other members of the board of trustees to determine if effective follow-ups were made with their managers and leaders to see if they are actually implementing the EBP suggestions to reduce burnout in their nurses. Capstone Change Project Evaluation Plan
References
Ghavidel, F., Fallahi-Khoshknab, M., Molavynejad, S., & Zarea, K. (2019). The role of organizational factors in nurse burnout: Experiences from Iranian nurses working in psychiatric wards. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 8(12), 3893–3899. https://doi.org/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_615_19
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Mudallal, R. H., Othman, W. M., & Al Hassan, N. F. (2017). Nurses’ burnout: The influence of leader empowering behaviors, work conditions, and demographic traits. Inquiry: A Journal of Medical Care Organization, Provision and Financing, 54, 46958017724944. https://doi.org/10.1177/0046958017724944 Capstone Change Project Evaluation Plan
Nurses working in health care settings, hospitals included experience a high levels of stress due to multiple reasons some of them being, dissatisfaction with the management team and superiors, negative working environments and long working hours (Gensimore, Maduro, Morgan, McGee & Zimbro, 2020). Over time, this stress leads to burnout which is characterized by reduction in energy levels, emotional exhaustion, reduced work productivity, increased frustration and lack of motivation (Mudallal, Othman & Al Hassan, 2017). Nurses who do not constantly experience high stress levels at work tend to work in the same organization for a long time and those who constantly experience high levels of burnout tend to leave the organization they work for. Effective nursing leadership approaches have been proven to reduce burnout, thus ensuring retention of nurses. This paper will address evidence-based research interventions that nurse leaders can adopt to address burnout in their organization to ensure retention of nurses. Capstone Change Project Evaluation Plan
Background
It has been estimated that nurses’ burnout ranges from about 40 % of nurses who work in a hospital report feelings of burnout (Reith, 2018). Almost one out of 5 employed nurses leave her job within the first year of enrolment, and about 1 in 3 quit their job within their second year. A study conducted by Haddad, Annamaraju & Toney-Butler (2020), shows that the number one reason as to why nurses are leaving their jobs is because of heavy workloads. If the underlying issues causing burnout are not targeted and fixed by nursing leaders, nurses will continue to quit their organization, creating even more shortage of nurses. Capstone Change Project Evaluation Plan
Clinical Problem Statement
About 43% of nurses who work in a hospital report feelings of burnout (Reith, 2018). Burnout in nurses is a serious issue which can lead to depression, fatigue, sleep issues, feelings of dread about the work, and physical exhaustion. These effects can cause nurses to disengage from their patients resulting in poor patient outcomes. Patient safety is supposed to be the number one priority in healthcare but research has proven that when healthcare professionals including nurses experience burnout, quality patient care and patient safety will be compromised. High levels of burnout experienced by nurses have been linked to high mortality rates of patients (Hall, Johnson, Watt, Tsipa & O’Connor, 2016). Burnout should not be viewed as “normal” and be accepted because as research as proven, nursing leaders can employ various approaches to reduce feelings of burnout at work and burnout adversely affects patient care. Some ways nursing leaders can address burnout are by maintaining adequate staffing levels and providing emotional support. Therefore, this project seeks to address leadership strategies that can be put in place help reduce staff burnout to increase nursing retention in an organization. Capstone Change Project Evaluation Plan
Purpose of change proposal
The purpose of the change proposal is to provide evidence-based suggestions to support leadership strategies that reduce nurses’ burnout, therefore increasing nursing retention. It demonstrates how leaders have a tasked responsibility in ensuring the nurses work in favorable work environment safe practicing environment. As such, it showcases that effective leadership strategies can indeed improve nursing retention by reducing burnout Capstone Change Project Evaluation Plan
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