CE: Nurses Are More Exhausted Than Ever: What Should We Do About It?

Abstract

For nurses, the challenges posed by demanding work environments and schedules often lead to fatigue, and this can be exacerbated during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. In this article, the authors discuss causes and challenges of nurse fatigue and consider several evidence-based strategies and solutions for individual nurses and organizations. Barriers to implementation, including a negative workplace culture and inadequate staffing, are also described, and several resources are presented.

Hospital staff nurse perceptions of resources and resource needs during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Similar to our findings, understaffing has been consistently raised as a significant difficulty encountered by hospital nurses during the pandemic ( Trinkoff et al, 2021 ). Understaffing contributes to excessive workloads, which can compromise nurses’ abilities to provide high-quality and safe patient care.…”

“…Since the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), hospital nurses around the world have experienced added strain to already stressful and demanding nursing work conditions. Specifically, hospital nurses have been faced with increased workloads, staffing shortages, sub-optimal work schedules, and the burden of caring for infected patients during the pandemic ( Trinkoff et al, 2021 ). Nurses have also described challenges and increasing workload associated with changes in their work and the work environment during the pandemic ( Kelley et al, 2022 ).…”

KELELAHAN KERJA PADA PERAWAT DI RUMAH SAKIT UMUM DAERAH (RSUD) Dr. H.M. ANSARI SALEH BANJARMASIN SELAMA PANDEMI COVID-19

“…Dan terdapat pembuktian tingkat prevalensi kelelahan pada perawat lebih tinggi daripada pekerjaan yang lain. Sebelum pandemi terjadi, perawat biasanya mengambil istirahat selama shift berlangsung dan juga menghadapi beban kerja yang berat disebabkan oleh staf yang kurang (Trinkoff et al, 2021). Shift kerja panjang meningkat sepanjang tahun, dengan jam kerja 12 jam atau lebih.…”

“…Survei nasional terkini, 33% perawat dilaporkan dengan bekerja lembur dan 5% bekerja dengan shift on call dalam setahun terakhir. Dengan bekerja pada kondisi diatas dapat menyebabkan kelelahan bahkan sangat lelah, baik secara fisik dan emosional, yang mana berkontribusi terhdap kondisi fisik dan mental yang lebih buruk (Trinkoff et al, 2021).…”

The insomnia, fatigue, and psychological well‐being of hospital nurses 18 months after the COVID‐19 pandemic began: A cross‐sectional study

“…Nurses are also at high risk of developing post‐traumatic stress symptoms because they are frequently exposed to traumatic situations directly and/or indirectly while providing patient care (Schuster & Dwyer, 2020 ). The repeated exposure to the coronavirus disease‐19 (COVID‐19) pandemic for nearly 2 years has worsened the aforementioned problems along with the working conditions of US hospital nurses (Melnyk et al, 2022 ; Mensinger et al, 2022 ; Sagherian et al, 2020 ; Shechter et al, 2020 ; Trinkoff et al, 2021 ). After the acute “fight response” phase of the COVID‐19 pandemic, many hospitals in the country have worked to support nursing staff with different initiatives such as basic needs resources, wellness rooms dedicated for breaks and calming activities, resilience training, hospital rounds by wellness team members, and quick access to mental health services among others (Cho et al, 2021 ; NYC Health + Hospitals, 2021 ).…”