Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2023 Aug 30;18(8):e0290880. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0290880. eCollection 2023.
Healthcare worker burnout is a growing problem in the United States which affects healthcare workers themselves, as well as the healthcare system as a whole. The goal of this qualitative assessment was to understand factors that may lead to healthcare worker burnout and turnover through focus groups with Certified Nursing Assistants who worked in acute care hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Eight focus group discussions lasting approximately 30 minutes each were held remotely from October 2022-January 2023 with current and former Certified Nursing Assistants who worked during the COVID-19 pandemic in acute care hospitals. Participants were recruited through various sources such as social media and outreach through professional organizations. The focus groups utilized open-ended prompts including topics such as challenges experienced during the pandemic, what could have improved their experiences working during the pandemic, and motivations for continuing or leaving their career in healthcare. The focus groups were coded using an immersion-crystallization technique and summarized using NVivo and Microsoft Excel. Participant demographic information was summarized overall and by current work status.
The focus groups included 58 Certified Nursing Assistants; 33 (57%) were current Certified Nursing Assistants and 25 (43%) were Certified Nursing Assistants who no longer work in healthcare. Throughout the focus groups, five convergent themes emerged, including staffing challenges, respect and recognition for Certified Nursing Assistants, the physical and mental toll of the job, facility leadership support, and pay and incentives.
Focus group discussions with Certified Nursing Assistants identified factors at individual and organizational levels that might contribute to burnout and staff turnover in healthcare settings. Suggestions from participants on improving their experiences included ensuring staff know they are valued, being included in conversations with leadership, and improving access to mental health resources.
医护人员 burnout 在美国是一个日益严重的问题，它不仅影响到医护人员自身，也影响到整个医疗体系。本 qualitative assessment 的目的是通过与在 COVID-19 大流行期间在急症护理医院工作的注册护士助理进行焦点小组讨论，了解可能导致医护人员 burnout 和离职的因素。
2022 年 10 月至 2023 年 1 月期间，通过各种途径，如社交媒体和通过专业组织进行外展，以远程方式进行了八次时长约 30 分钟的焦点小组讨论，参与者为在 COVID-19 大流行期间在急症护理医院工作的现任和前任注册护士助理。焦点小组使用开放式提示，包括大流行期间经历的挑战、可以改善他们在大流行期间工作体验的内容、以及继续或离开医疗保健职业的动机等主题。焦点小组使用沉浸-结晶技术进行编码，并使用 NVivo 和 Microsoft Excel 进行总结。参与者的人口统计学信息总体上和按当前工作状况进行了总结。
焦点小组包括 58 名注册护士助理；33 名（57%）是现任注册护士助理，25 名（43%）不再从事医疗保健工作。在整个焦点小组讨论中，出现了五个趋同主题，包括人员配备挑战、对注册护士助理的尊重和认可、工作的身心消耗、设施领导支持以及薪酬和激励措施。
与注册护士助理进行的焦点小组讨论确定了可能导致医疗保健环境中 burnout 和员工离职的个人和组织层面的因素。参与者提出的改善体验的建议包括确保员工知道他们的价值、让他们参与与领导层的对话以及改善获得心理健康资源的机会。
