Burnout and coping strategies in pediatric and neonatal intensive care staff.

Abstract

Objective: Staff in pediatric and neonatal intensive care units (PICU and NICU) experience high rates of burnout due to the highly stressful environment. There is growing literature describing stress and burnout, but to date, no review of the evidence specific to pediatric and neonatal intensive care. For the development of interventions to reduce and prevent burnout, there needs to be a better understanding of this evidence. Little is known about coping strategies employed by critical care staff; it is important to collate and critique this literature to inform interventions. The objective of this systematic review was to examine burnout occurrence and coping strategies among staff working in PICU and NICU. Methods: A systematic search of Web of Science (WoS), Scopus, Medline, AMED, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Nice Evidence, and EMBASE was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Results: Studies measuring burnout and/or coping in PICU and NICU were included in the review. Twenty-two studies met the inclusion criteria, the majority of which used a quantitative cross-sectional design. Of the included studies, 14 measured burnout, and 17 measured coping. Conclusion: Staff working in pediatric and neonatal intensive care settings experience high rates of burnout. While staff may have the ability to use coping strategies, often time and lack of awareness mean they don't. Psychologically informed interventions are required to prevent burnout and to provide staff with the tools and resources to develop healthy coping strategies in order to boost their well-being. Those interventions must then be formally evaluated to determine their impact on staff psychological outcomes.

Challenges to well‐being in critical care

“…Despite this, there is very little work investigating successful coping strategies or interventions designed to improve workplace wellbeing. 28 This is a grave problem requiring urgent attention. 18,19,29 Indeed, recent research with interdisciplinary health care professionals, parents and families found that parties identified PCC staff well-being as a key priority.…”

“…Despite this, there is very little work investigating successful coping strategies or interventions designed to improve workplace well‐being 28 . This is a grave problem requiring urgent attention 18,19,29 .…”

Managing well-being in paediatric critical care: a multiperspective qualitative study of nurses’ and allied health professionals’ experiences

“… 13 A recent review which examined levels of burn-out and coping mechanisms employed by staff in paediatric and neonatal intensive care confirmed levels of burn-out were high, but the coping strategies used were not found to be effective. 14 This demonstrates a need for more effective mechanisms to improve well-being and increased self-awareness to enable staff to recognise what works for them. We know that burn-out, stress and psychological distress experienced by PCC staff can lead to them leaving the profession.…”

“…To date, research has focused on measuring the extent of the problem, but Butcher et al ’s 2023 review 14 and the small amount of qualitative research undertaken to explore workforce well-being in PCC to date 8 16–18 have shown us that further work is required to fully grasp the nature of staff experiences within the context of their lifeworld—their lived experience. 19 To do this, we need to examine in-depth how individuals make sense of what constitutes well-being to them, to understand how they experience challenges to their well-being and how they might be able to integrate well-being strategies into their everyday lives to build resilience at work.…”