Throughout the nation, including the state of Pennsylvania, there is a constant attempt to identify reasons behind high numbers of patient infections in hospitals. As it turns out, according to one study, some of these could be prevented, by addressing nurse burnout. While the study focuses on infections, it is possible its findings could pertain to other patient issues due to hospital negligence as well.

• One organizational psychologist cited the following as causes for burnout:
• Exhaustion
• Cynicism
• Lack of civility in the workplace

This type of burnout can lead nurses to mentally checkout while taking care of their patients, manifesting itself in behavior such as failing to wash hands. This failure can in turn can lead to the development of an infection, such as those located in the urinary tract or the site of surgery, in a patient which then leads to additional expenses for hospitals.

According to the study, approximately 30 percent of nurses in Pennsylvania are burned-out. Reportedly if hospitals throughout the state were to reduce that number by 20 percent, $41 million would be saved through the reduction of the hospital infections considered to be the most common.

The study noted that when the proportion of nurses considered to be dealing with burnout at a hospital rose by 10 percent, urinary tract infections increased by the same amount. The result was much worse however with surgical site infections. Those type of infections, on the other hand, increased by more than 50 percent.

According to this study, it appears that nurses want the same thing from their workplace that non-nurses do, namely respect for their professionalism and good management. What do you think about this? Do you believe nurse burnout has an impact on patient safety in Pennsylvania?

Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, "Penn study examines link between nurse burnout, care," Don Sapatkin, July 30, 2012