Introduction
The Covid-19 pandemic has greatly affected people worldwide, both physically and psychologically. Medical staff, the frontline fighters against the virus and the pandemic’s ramifications, experiences a dramatically increased level of pressure, stress, and anxiety. It often results in the care providers’ burnout which affects their mental and psychological health and professional performance making many workers quit their jobs. Researchers and healthcare organizations have developed and suggested strategies and programs to support them, including the buddy system. The paper’s objective is to evaluate the buddy system’s implementation among nursing staff into practice.
Research Findings
Different healthcare organizations provided guidelines for hospitals’ managers and nurse leaders comprising coping techniques for nurses’ burnout prevention and reduction. The World Health Organization (WHO) (2020) pointed out the importance of nurses’ collaboration and mutual support. One of the ways to ensure it is the buddy system (World Health Organization, 2020). The buddy system implies paring up inexperienced nurses with their more experienced colleagues (World Health Organization, 2020, p.3). This way, nurses can share knowledge and rely on their partners when they face problems. American Health Care Association (AHCA) and National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL) (2021) also included this approach in their guidelines and highlighted its potential for burnout prevention and reduction. However, they referred to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s (NIOSH) broader definition of the buddy system. It views it as a collaboration of two colleagues monitoring each other’s safety and well-being with no reference to their experience gap (The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health). In any way, the buddy system is an officially acknowledged tool for fighting nurses’ burnout.
These recommendations are supported by several research findings proving the efficiency. Albott et al. (2021) suggested that nurses have partners and conduct 1-10 minutes check-ins at least 2-3 times a week to monitor their state (p.50). The results of their research show that it is easy to implement as it requires no cost and not many resources (Albott et al., 2021, p.53). In Schneider and Schneider’s (2020) study, ICU nurses were paired with less experienced non-ICU nurses. Their study showed an increased level of teamwork and motivation among nurses during the pandemic peak (Schneider and Schneider, 2020, p. 41). Marks et al. (2021) also consider partnering nurses experienced in critical care with those lacking knowledge and skills in this area as an optimal model for rapid professional and psychological preparation of nurses. Thus, according to the American researchers, the buddy system seems a suitable intervention measure for nurses’ psychological support during the coronavirus pandemic.
The buddy system’s effect on nurses’ mental health was also studied in the UK. The model was a part of The Nightingale mental health plan (Greenberg et al., 2020). Greenberg et al. (2020) admitted that they did not manage to conduct full-scale research as planned and did not get significant results, but its outcome still showed positive tendencies. Even if the study was not comprehensive, it is valuable for broadening the geographical and cultural scale of the intervention’s implementation.
The Desired Outcome of the Buddy System’s Implementation into Practice
The desired outcome for the buddy system implementation is the mitigation of nurses’ burnout. According to Kelly et al. (2020) and Molly and Allegra (2021), burnout is one of the most serious mental issues nurses have faced during the pandemic. Moreover, the scholars note that it is the major reason for intensified workforce turnover (Kelly et al., 2020; Molly and Allegra, 2021). Therefore, implementing the buddy system may help overcome nurses’ burnout and decrease their resignations, which would solve the problem of hospital staff shortage after the coronavirus outbreak.
The Rate of the Buddy System’s Implementation
Even though several studies conducted in 2020 showed the efficiency of this approach, some newer articles still demonstrate a high level of mental health issues and professional burnout among nurses. For instance, Greenberg et al.’s study (2021) of the UK healthcare staff showed that ICU personnel suffered from dramatically raised levels of mental health problems during the current pandemic (p.66). According to the scholars, the increased risk was particularly noticeable amongst nurses (p.66). Kelly et al. (2020), who conducted their research in the US, also concluded that burnout persists to be a relevant problem for more than half of nurses (p.99). Thus, some separate studies do not seem to make much difference on a larger scale. Since there is no extensive data on long-term and large-scale implementation of the buddy system, it is impossible to evaluate the extent of the practice implementation accurately.
Possible Barriers to Practical Implementation
As the buddy system seems to be applied in practice too slowly, it is needed to identify possible barriers that hinder its spread and development. Zipperer (2020) noted that during the coronavirus outbreak, nurses lacked time for patients and self-care (para. 9). Therefore, it might be difficult for them to find time to check on their partners. Another barrier for the buddy system implementation can be a cultural one. The studies presented above were all conducted in the US or the UK, and researchers have no data on how cultural differences may affect its application in other countries.
Ways to Overcome the Barriers
While some barriers might be unexpected and manifest only in real practical conditions, the hospital managers may be prepared for the identified ones. For instance, some issues may be solved by combining the buddy system with other helpful approaches. For example, Sun (2021) concluded that time management training also positively affected nurses’ mental health. If nurses receive such training, they would have enough time for self-care, including more communication with their colleagues. As for the potential cultural barrier, one can only overcome it by spreading the research scale.
Resources for the Buddy System Implementation’ Informational Support
If hospital managers and nurse leaders want to learn more about the buddy system or do not know how to implement this model into practice, they can visit healthcare organizations’ websites. For example, the AHRQ website provides relevant information on Coronavirus and its impact and gives references to useful sources, such as research papers and already mentioned AHCA&NCAL tips on improving nurses’ mental health. They also include many other approaches that can be combined with the buddy system to enhance its effect. Moreover, these guidelines might also be useful for nurses as they comprise information on burnout symptoms and links to sources for further reading (AHCA&NCAL, 2021). Overall, the website is a good source of theoretical data on Coronavirus’s impact on nurses’ mental health and general information about methods to overcome it. However, for practical implementation, one would need more research data.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there is an extensive amount of studies proving the efficiency of the buddy system for decreasing the level of burnout among nurses during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, there is a lack of comprehensive reports or research papers evaluating the program’s long-term implementation into practice. Moreover, most of this research is restricted to the US, which may become a potential barrier for implementing it in other countries. Another barrier is nurses’ lack of time for self-care, which can be addressed by implementing time management training. The AHRQ also suggests the buddy system as an effective tool for fighting burnout among nurses. The organization’s website also provides valuable information for hospital managers on strategies to support the employees and for the staff to identify burnout symptoms. However, further comprehensive research is necessary for effective worldwide implementation of the buddy system to mitigate the nurses’ burnout.
References
Albott, C. S., Wozniak, J. R., McGlinch, B. P., Wall, M. H., Gold, B. S., & Vinogradov, S. (2020). Battle buddies: Rapid deployment of a psychological resilience intervention for health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Anesthesia and Analgesia, 131(1), 43-54.
American Health Care Association (AHCA) & National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL). (2021). Tips on supporting staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Greenberg, N., Cooke, J., Sullivan, E., & Tracy, D.K. (2020). Mental health plan for workers of the London Nightingale Hospital: following the evidence to support staff. BMJ Military Health, 167(2), 1-3.
Greenberg, N., Weston, D., Hall, C., Caulfield, T., Williamson, V., & Fong, K. (2021). Mental health of staff working in intensive care during Covid-19. Occupational Medicine, 71, 62–67.
Kelly, L.A., Gee, P. M, & Butler, R. J. (2020). Impact of nurse burnout on organizational and position turnover. Nursing Outlook, 69(1), 96-102.
Marks, S., Edwards, S., & Jerge, E.H. (2021). Rapid deployment of critical care nurse education during the COVID-19 pandemic.Nurse Lead, 19(2), 165-169.
Molle, E., & Allegra, M. (2021). Nurses’ perceptions of the Buddy Staffing Model: Implications for nurse leaders.Nurse Leader, 19(6), 625-629.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). (n.d.). NIOSH fact sheet: The buddy system.
Schneider, B.C., & Schneider, S.P. (2020). ICU buddy staffing to combat COVID-19. Nursing Management, 51(10), 36-42.
Sun, L. (2021). Intervention effect of time management training on nurses’ mental health during the Covid-19 epidemic. Psychiatria Danubina, 33(4), 626-633.
World Health Organization (WTO). (2020). Mental health and psychosocial considerations during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Zipperer, L. (2020).COVID-19: Team and human factors to improve safety. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.