8 predictors of nurse burnout — and how leaders can help

Routinely leaving late is the strongest predictor of nurse burnout and is linked to a 2% to 6% higher turnover rate compared to teams on which nurses leave on time, according to a new report from the American Organization for Nursing Leadership and Laudio. 

The report, “An Early Warning System for Nurse Burnout: Metrics and Strategies,” was published Oct. 7 and is based on an analysis of data from more than 95,000 nurses and their managers across more than 150 U.S. hospitals. 

Three notes:

1. The report identified eight early warning signs of nurse burnout: consistently arriving early; consistently skipping breaks; consistently leaving late; the threshold of nurses who have not taken PTO in six months; consistently calling out; consistently precepting; consistently serving as a charge nurse; and consistently floating.

Each of these is associated with a statistically significant higher likelihood of turnover over time, researchers said. 

2. While nurse staffing levels have improved, individual workloads have intensified, which has led to several of the burnout indicators increasing the past several years, according to the report.

“These early signs often go undetected by traditional staffing metrics and reactive data, which can overlook the nuanced and unsustainable workload and wellness patterns influencing nurse retention,” the AONL said in an Oct. 7 news release on the findings.

3. The report recommends more than 30 interventions for nurse executives and managers to better support their workforce. The recommendations are organized around two key leadership priorities that researchers identified through interviews with nurse leaders. Nurse executives’ two core areas of focus should be to build visibility into early signs of burnout and design more sustainable roles and workflows. At the same time, nurse managers should focus on developing a better understanding of their teams and leveraging support roles. 

View the full report here. 

The post 8 predictors of nurse burnout — and how leaders can help appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.