Experiences of Burnout Among Nurse Anesthetists

Recent and mounting evidence indicates burnout among healthcare providers in the United States has been steadily rising over the last decade. Review of the literature has indicated that burnout affects provider clinical performance, professionalism, quality, incidence of medical errors, and intention to stay in the profession. Burnout has been shown to impact provider quality of life. However, education focused on coping skills can reduce burnout amongst providers. This article describes a quality improvement project conducted to determine the effect of a burnout awareness and coping skills program to decrease burnout among nurse anesthetists at a level one trauma center. The educational program provided information that helped staff to identify signs and symptoms of burnout and offered strategies to reduce burnout. We describe the project methods, and results, which suggested a significant decrease in participants’ levels of the emotional exhaustion component of burnout following participation in the program. We offer discussion about the clinical significance of our findings, note project limitations, and conclude with implications for research and practice.