Introduction of the Problem
Intensive care nurses must provide care for patients needing special medical care, unlike other nurses in non-intensive care units. Thus, they participate in the prevention and treatment of patients at regular intervals. Nurses have to devote their full attention to patients constantly because the chances of losing a patient are high. Thus, they experience stress and burnout, which leads them to develop illnesses due to their intensive work. In other hospital sections which are not care-intensive, nurses tend to experience less stress as the cases dealt with are generic, meaning they do not need much attention. The difference in patients being handled leads to a disparity in the stress and burnout development rate among the two types of nurses. The significance of the problem at hand is that burnout can result in cardiovascular problems such as myocardial infarction and stroke among critical care nurses if the rate of stress from burnout exceeds a given threshold (Salimi et al., 2020). This paper aims to address how burnout can be prevented by strategies such as enough sleep and how the condition is treatable through relaxation and identifying stressors. Besides, the study will highlight burnout-associated issues such as absenteeism and cynicism based on the analysis of two articles.
Evidence Matrix Table
Synthesis of the Literature
Variable
An evidence matrix table is what the figure mentioned above entails. The first study used in the evidence matrix table was conducted to assess the psychological health of healthcare professionals in intensive care units (ICUs) (Salimi et al., 2020). The second study listed in the evidence matrix table by Alharbi et al. (2020) provides evidence regarding nurses’ experiences working in hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both research variables are remarkably comparable. The COVID-19 pandemic in Alharbi et al. and the intensive care unit in Salimi et al. serve as the independent variables in the articles. The melancholy and anxiety experienced by the nurses in the first article is the dependent variable, which represents the “result” of the “cause and effect.” The nurses’ experience is the dependent variable for the second study. Thus, research findings will confirm that there is a clinical problem of nurse overwork, which leads to the development of disease.
Methods
The study designs and research methods employed in the studies covered in this paper are comparable. Salimi et al. (2020) conducted a survey study with 400 nurses from the Sahiwal Medical College who chose to participate. Alharbi et al. (2020) used a systemic review with 110 nurses in article 2. CINAHL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, Google Scholar, MedNar, ProQuest, and the Index to Theses were used in a structured search for the study. The research in both articles was qualitative. Understanding the attitudes and experiences of the nurse is a common goal of a qualitative study. To fully understand the research, this type of study typically uses conversations or observations to ask questions regarding the “what,” “how,” and “why.” It is important to note that the study is valid as a result of the verification of the findings and the sampling of the participants.
Participants
In Salimi et al. (2020) study, 59% of the participants were in the 20–30 age range. Additionally, 56.3% were women, while the remaining percentage were men. 44.5% of the study sample were single, while the rest were either engaged or married. The second publication by Alharbi et al. (2020) included data from thirteen qualitative research. In the second research, most nurses were female between the ages of 20 and 50.
Instruments
Surveys and Questionnaires were the main instruments used to collect data in these studies. Additionally, there are various reasons why surveys and questionnaires are used in research. Questionnaires provide detailed information about a specific topic, whereas surveys provide a broader overview. Second, questionnaires help to find patterns and explore people’s trends, opinions, and attitudes about a specific topic.
Implications for Future Work
Research confirms the impact of nurses’ emotional burnout through study participants. These studies suggest several questions for further work related to burnout among nurses and entrepreneurs in intensive care units. First, it is necessary to maintain the level of monitoring of emotional burnout among this group of nurses. Developing additional educational programs to prevent occupational burnout for OIT nurses may also be essential. Finally, it is significant to have the consequences directed on burnout among nurses; development in intensive care units has changed manifestations to the expression of this population. What is a reliable way to investigate the effects of burnout among nurses? How does this affect work in intensive care units?
Conclusion
In summation, nurses are an essential component of healthcare. Nurses work intensely to provide proper care for patients, often causing them fatigue and health problems. COVID-19 and other critical care diseases often rise with time, leading to an increased workload for nurses. Studies have shown that nurses’ mental health suffers from physical exhaustion and being overwhelmed. They also mention the significance of nurse safety and assistance in difficult moments. Mental health support should be mainstream and actively promoted during these trying circumstances. Moreover, research indicates that the use of relaxation strategies and extra sleep are effective. This strategy is beneficial not only to the nurse but also to the patient.
References
Alharbi, J., Jackson, D., & Usher, K. (2020). The potential for COVID‐19 to contribute to compassion fatigue in critical care nurses. Journal of Clinical Nursing. 31(2), 89-96
Salimi, S., Pakpour, V., Rahmani, A., Wilson, M., & Feizollahzadeh, H. (2020). Compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress among critical care nurses in Iran. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 31(1), 59-66.