PICOT Question Paper Nurse Burnout

Review your problem or issue and the study materials to formulate a PICOT question for your capstone project change proposal. A PICOT question starts with a designated patient population in a particular clinical area and identifies clinical problems or issues that arise from clinical care. The intervention used to address the problem must be a nursing practice intervention. Include a comparison of the nursing intervention to a patient population not currently receiving the nursing intervention, and specify the timeframe needed to implement the change process. Formulate a PICOT question using the PICOT format (provided in the assigned readings) that addresses the clinical nursing problem. The PICOT question will provide a framework for your capstone project change proposal. In a paper of 500-750 words, clearly identify the clinical problem and how it can result in a positive patient outcome. Describe the problem in the PICOT question as it relates to the following: Evidence-based solution Nursing intervention Patient care Health care agency Nursing practice PICOT question: Among registered nurses on medical surgical unit, do implementing nurse patient ratios, patient acuity score, and break times reduce nurse burnout and increase patient satisfaction compared to nurses with heavy workloads over a three month period? Interventions would be implementing patient acuity score, nurse-to-patient ratio 1:5, and providing time for breaks. PICOT Question Paper Nurse Burnout

Problem

Nurses in the American healthcare system experience heavy workloads due to four main reasons namely a decrease in patient’s los, an increase in the demand for nurses, an increase in overtime and a decrease in staffing, and an inadequate supply of nurses. It is worth mentioning that due to an increase in the aging population, the demand for nurses will continue to increase. It is for this reason that Carayon & Gurses (2020) estimated that, between the years 2000-2020, the US population will have grown by 18% yet the population of individuals aged 65 years and older will grow by 54%. Secondly, the current nurses’ supply is inadequate to meet the demand. Carayon & Gurses (2020) further approximate that, this nursing shortage will worsen as the future demand for nurses continues to increase yet nursing institutions of higher learning cannot keep up with the continuously increasing education demand for nurses. When there is a shortage of nurses, there is an increase in the nursing workload for those on the job. PICOT Question Paper Nurse Burnout

Evidence-Based Solution

Clarke & Donaldson (2020) refer to the IOM landmark report that highlights the significance of nurse staffing in providing quality care.  As a health policy issue with much consensus, the researchers propose adequate nurse staffing as the most effective strategy to increase nurses’ retention and reducing the nursing workload. Besides, staffing should also ensure that there is an appropriate match between patients’ needs and nursing competencies to result in conducive work environments and better patient health outcomes. The best strategies that promote nurse staffing are those that increase the retention of nurses. Apart from nurse staffing, Al-Dweik & Ahmad (2020) suggest the need to use patient acuity tools in clinical settings. The tool should use a valid scoring system that is also reliable, objective, simple, and efficient. Validity in this case describes the extent that an acuity tool reflects a patient’s needs for care, reliability defines the consistency of scores by patient category while efficiency and simplicity define the tool’s conciseness and clarity. PICOT Question Paper Nurse Burnout

Nursing Intervention

The primary nursing intervention in this evidence-based project will be implementing a nurse-patient ratio of 1:5, a patient acuity score, and providing nurses with times for breaks. To have a nurse: patient ratio of 1:5, the organizational leadership will adopt effective human resource policies that promote the retention of nurses. For patient acuity scores, the author purposes to develop a safe nursing workload acuity using a simple, customized, valid, and reliable acuity tool. The tool will require simple documentation, with a maximum of eight to ten seconds per patient per shift to complete.