Due to recent changes in the health sector, nursing professionals find themselves in stressful situations that often lead to burnout. One of the root causes of stress is increased workload (Collie, 2005). Others get stressed because they lack the necessary skills to work well and especially when assisting the aged. Though I have not experienced stress or violence in the workplace, there is so much stress among home healthcare givers. The few nurses available always have to work for more than one agency and attend to many patients. Besides having to deal with rising gas costs as they are made to move from place to place, nurses suffer from tiredness and waste so much time in between. Apart from causing a huge decline in the quality of services, this has also led to work dissatisfaction. This paper discusses the difficulty faced by the state, healthcare providers, and nursing practitioners when dealing with the aged. Baby boomers, as they are commonly known, are a generation of those born between 1946 and 1964. This aging population requires highly specialized attention that subjects nurses to a lot of pressure. Jansen, Kerkstra, Abu-Saab, and Van Der Zee (1996) also observed that high dependency amongst elderly patients adds to the problem of increased workload and hence more pressure. Some nurses have opted out of the profession making things even worse.
The relevance of the key points in this paper has to do with the increased stress experienced by nurses working for more than one agency and serving many clients. Usually, these nurses are unable to cover other patients when needed. This becomes trickier when helping boomers since they require much more support to cope with their complex health conditions. Research shows that this will drastically transform the future of medical and healthcare services (Dunnan, 2007).
Through healthy lifestyles, boomers have been able to live for a longer period. With time, however, they develop severe medical problems that require expert medical attention. This situation puts healthcare service providers in a tight spot given that in the next twenty years, most of those hospitalized will be boomers (Dunnan, 2007). With shocking reports and statistics being released about healthcare for baby boomers, stakeholders now wonder how prepared the U.S. healthcare system is to address future health challenges.
Collins, Davis, Schoen, Doty, and Kriss (2006) noticed that players in different sectors are not in any way ready to cooperate with state officials to provide a way out. Insurance companies for example are out to sell very costly products oblivious of the fact that people are living in a world where they have to make tough economic decisions. The rising cost of healthcare has also compelled some employers to pass this burden to employees by increasing premium contributions. Other employers have gone to the extent of getting rid of health covers for employees (Collins, Davis, Schoen, Doty & Kriss, 2006).
As the aging population continues to grow, the nursing burnout syndrome will continue to risk the health and safety of all patients in the U.S. If this state of affairs is let to continue, the government will eventually be forced to spend a considerable amount of money to provide healthcare services to needy citizens. Efforts by the federal and state government to deal with this development are, however, not enough and should be complemented by others. Employers and insurers should work closely with the government to provide long-term solutions. Emphasis should be placed on tackling work-related fatigue and providing helpful training to satisfy and motivate nursing staff (Hasson & Arnetz, 2007).
When dealing with burnout, prevention rather than intervention should be encouraged. Many healthcare counselors see no quick fix for burnout. They recommend that support groups should be created and counseling programs implemented. A task force can also be created to review solutions.
Finally, it is very important to note that burnout is such a serious concern for healthcare service providers both in nursing institutions and within the home healthcare field. It causes physical, emotional, and behavioral harms that greatly degrade the quality of services offered. By actively monitoring the work environment, healthcare institutions can help decrease incidences of burnout and boost staff morale.
References
Collie, D. (2005). 10 Biggest Causes of Workplace Stress.Web.
Collins, S., Davis, K., Schoen, C., Doty, M. M., and Kriss, J. L. (2006). Health Coverage for Aging Baby Boomers: Findings from the Commonwealth Fund Survey of Older Adults. Web.
Dunnan, T. (2007). Baby Boomers Changing Health Care. Web.
Hasson, H. & Arnetz, J. E. (2007). Nursing staff competence, work strain, stress and satisfaction in elderly care: a comparison of home-based care and nursing homes. Web.
Jansen, P., Kerkstra, A., Abu-Saab, H. H. & Van Der Zee, J. (1996). The effects of job characteristics and individual characteristics on job satisfaction and burnout in community nursing. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 33, 407–421.