Burnout in ER nurses: Review of the literature and interview themes

Abstract

Burnout is especially disruptive among emergency room (ER) nurses. This report covers the influencing factors and outcomes related to burnout in ER nursing populations, with the goal of providing helpful information to a professional audience. The present article includes a literature review on burnout as it occurs in the ER. Interviews from a small sample of ER nurses (n = 5) are analyzed through a combination of deductive thematic analysis and computerized text analysis. Research from various related fields have been pooled together and briefly described. Experiences, comments, and recommendations concerning burnout collected from interviews seem to align with findings from empirical research, and recommendations given by interview nurses closely resemble the recommendations given by researchers. Sentiment analysis revealed a pattern of positive word use when the nurses discussed resources, and a pattern of negative word use when workload was discussed. A better understanding of burnout, both anecdotal and empirical, is valuable information for any professional who works in the ER. Many options exist for reducing or mitigating burnout, including interventions at the individual, team, and organizational levels. More involvement of ER nurses in burnout reduction strategies should be made a priority.

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