Project Study Protocol: Nurse Burnout Intervention

2.6. Project Study Protocol Nurse Burnout Intervention as a Healthcare Administrator Leader
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2.6. Project Study Protocol
Burnout is long-term chronic stress, physical and emotional exhaustion, and progressive energy loss (Kelly & Hearld, 2020). Burnout can cause demotivation, lack of interest in work, exhaustion, demotivation, and even anxiety, depression, and irritability. There is a high risk of burnout and compassion fatigue when there is a heavy workload and repeated exposure to trauma, disfigurement, frailty, death, and despair. Repeated exposure to various stressors in the workplace is associated with worsening burnout, compassion fatigue, and lack of compassion satisfaction (Hunsaker et al., 2015). In turn, burnout leads to worse patient and provider outcomes, which may compromise the quality of care.
Preventing and managing the effects of burnout helps maintain nurses’ psychological and mental health well-being. The COVID-19 pandemic may have worsened nurses’ risk of burnout psychological distress because of increased workload. The pandemic strained the healthcare system, and frontline nurses and other healthcare practitioners were some of the most adversely affected. The work environment and conflicts may worsen burnout in nurses, and healthcare administrator leaders should show concern for nurses while also recognizing and addressing burnout. 
The passive avoidance leadership style is associated with a higher risk of burnout, unlike empowering leadership styles such as transformational leadership, which protect nurses from burnout (Kelly & Hearld, 2020). The lack of empowerment can lead to job dissatisfaction, especially when nurses feel their input is not valued. Nurses have numerous responsibilities and work in different shifts and, at times, schedules while exposed to various stressors when caring for and managing patients. Transformational leadership enhances nurse engagement and management, while nurses are more likely to be motivated, especially when there is a healthy work environment. Transformational leadership can also promote psychological empowerment and encourage nurses to utilize positive coping strategies. Transformational leaders are visionaries a...