Nurse Fatigue

Words: 850
Pages: 4

Topic of Interest The goal of this paper is to conduct a literature review of the relationship between nursing fatigue and the quality of patient care. As frontline providers of care, nurses face a multitude of challenges that can impact both their well-being and the quality of healthcare services they deliver. This paper gains insights from various identified studies. By examining existing research, we seek to understand the impact of fatigue on nursing professionals and its potential implications for patient outcomes and healthcare quality. Nurse Fatigue and Patient Care Compassion fatigue and burnout Compassion fatigue (CF) and burnout, which are two critical dimensions affecting the well-being of nurses, are explored through the lens of …show more content…
(2022), “The results find low mean levels of compassion fatigue (CF) and burnout and high mean levels of compassion satisfaction (CS) among the nurses” (p.720). In contrast, Wang et al. (2023) states, “Moderate to high levels of compassion fatigue was present in 75.88% of obstetrics and gynecology nurses.” (p.5503). “The mean scores for acute fatigue and chronic fatigue were 77.69 (SD = 17.19) and 65.19 (SD = 23.18), respectively, indicating high acute fatigue and moderate-to-high chronic fatigue” (Cho et al., 2022, p. 661). These scores suggest that, on average, participants experience high levels of acute fatigue and moderate-to-high levels of chronic fatigue. This acute fatigue can lead to diminished alertness, increased errors, and decreased cognitive and physical performance, potentially compromising the quality of patient …show more content…
“Workload may also affect the quality of nursing care by causing emotional exhaustion in nurses. The results of a study revealed that 55.4% of Canadian nurses suffered from emotional exhaustion. The high workload in this study was a predictor of emotional exhaustion and there was a positive and significant correlation between workload and emotional exhaustion” (Maghsoud et al., 2022, p. 2). This research revealed that more than 50% of Canadian nurses are struggling with emotional exhaustion due to the substantial workloads and stress imposed on them. In comparison, another study analyzed how overtime affects nurses. The entirety of tasks often exceeds the capacity to complete them within a standard shift, necessitating nurses to extend their working hours. “Overtime is related to a heavy workload that cannot be completed in the normal working time, and having required nursing hours that exceeded 8 h was related to perceived insufficient nurse staffing level, fatigue, and perceived nursing care quality in the current study” (Hong et al., 2023, p. 10). This prolonged working time can contribute to physical and mental fatigue among nurses. Overtime work is likely to result in increased stress, exhaustion, and a higher risk of burnout due to the sustained effort and extended time spent on job responsibilities. Quality of patient care “Frequent