Alhassani, F. K., & Alhassani, H. H. (2024). Occupational stress and burnout in healthcare workers: Causes, consequences, and solutions. Journal of International Crisis and Risk Communication Research, 7, 224–236. doi.org/10.63278/jicrcr.vi.2498
This article provides a comprehensive examination of burnout in healthcare, detailing its root causes, warning signs, and long term consequences. It emphasizes that burnout is driven not only by job-related stress and emotional exhaustion but also by broader organizational factors such as lack of managerial support, rigid scheduling, and insufficient recognition. Importantly, the article highlights the bidirectional impact of burnout: it diminishes the mental, physical, and social well-being of healthcare workers while simultaneously compromising the quality and safety of patient care. The discussion of symptoms noted, chronic fatigue, depersonalization, and reduced efficacy emphasizes the seriousness of the issue across clinical settings. What sets this article apart is its focus on evidence-based strategies to mitigate burnout. It recommends organizational interventions like flexible scheduling, resilience training, and peer support systems, all aimed at promoting a culture of well-being. These strategies reflect a shift from reactive to preventive approaches in addressing burnout. Ultimately, this article is a valuable resource for healthcare leaders and administrators committed to sustainable workforce well-being and high-quality patient care. It reinforces the necessity of systemic change over individual coping strategies and offers actionable pathways for real reform.
For example, a hospital unit might implement regular peer support groups facilitated by trained staff or mental health professionals. These confidential forums would allow nurses and other healthcare providers to share experiences, debrief after high-stress events, and access emotional support. By institutionalizing peer connection and emotional processing as part of the work culture, such programs can reduce feelings of isolation and emotional fatigue which are key contributors to burnout. This directly applies the article’s findings and demonstrates how intentional structural changes can improve both staff morale and patient care outcomes.
Connors, C. A., Norvell, M., & Wu, A. W. (2024). The RISE (Resilience in Stressful Events) peer support program: Creating a virtuous cycle of healthcare leadership support for staff resilience and well-being. Journal of Healthcare Leadership, 16, 537–542. https://doi.org/10.2147/JHL.S487709
This article highlights the pivotal role healthcare leadership plays in combating burnout and promoting resilience through structured institutional support, using the Johns Hopkins RISE (Resilience In Stressful Events) program. Established in 2011, RISE provides 24/7, confidential, peer-to-peer emotional support for healthcare workers following distressing clinical events. The article illustrates how peer support programs like RISE serve as crucial interventions for interrupting the cycle of burnout by fostering emotional processing, reducing isolation, and normalizing help seeking behaviors among staff. A major contribution of the article is its emphasis on the important role leadership plays in both the implementation and sustainability of such programs. Leaders who actively promote, participate in, and model engagement with resilience initiatives can help change workplace culture from one of silent endurance to one of open support. Leadership endorsement increases program visibility, normalizes use, and ensures appropriate resource allocation. The adoption of the RISE model in over 140 institutions testifies to its credibility and usefulness across diverse healthcare settings. The article outlines concrete steps for organizations looking to adopt peer responder systems. These include training staff in psychological support, ensuring rapid response availability, maintaining confidentiality, and providing ongoing support for peer responders themselves.
For example, a hospital might integrate the RISE model into its safety improvement plan by training selected nursing staff as peer responders and embedding the service into shift handoffs or debriefings after critical incidents. When a nurse experiences a traumatic event, they would be able to access trained peer support within minutes with several ways to reach out confidentially. This peer support system has the ability to help mitigate emotional distress and reducing the likelihood of long-term burnout symptoms.
Edú-Valsania, S., Laguía, A., & Moriano, J. A. (2022). Burnout: A Review of Theory and Measurement. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(3), 1780. doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031780
This article offers a comprehensive exploration of nurse burnout, emphasizing the urgent need for both system wide and personal strategies to prevent its impact. The researchers provide a well-rounded analysis of evidence-based approaches, addressing burnout from multiple angles—including workload management, leadership engagement, peer support, and personal resilience-building techniques. What sets this study apart is the thorough focus on measurement tools, a critical yet often forgotten component in burnout intervention frameworks. A significant component of the article is its detailed evaluation of several commonly used burnout assessment instruments. It analyses the structure, scoring mechanisms, and application contexts of tools such as the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI), and the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL). And it is important to note, the researchers identify the Brief Burnout Questionnaire-Revised (CBB-R) as especially well-suited for nurses due to its ease of administration, and specificity to healthcare professionals. The CBB-R’s domains, captures emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and a reduced sense of personal efficacy, which aligns closely with the daily experiences of nurses. Its design allows for routine use in clinical environments, making it an effective monitoring tool for both research and practice. By connecting assessment with action, this article provides nurse leaders, and healthcare administrators with a practical framework for proactively addressing burnout. It reinforces the importance of ongoing monitoring as a crucial component of workforce well-being, and supports the CBB-R as an evidence-based solution for real-time burnout detection and management.
For example, a nursing director could implement the CBB-R quarterly to assess burnout trends within a unit. The collected and analyzed data could then inform targeted interventions—such as initiating peer support groups, or offering resilience training—based on identified needs. Regular use of the tool would also help track the effectiveness of these interventions over time, promoting a culture of continuous improvement and psychological safety.
Sawyer, A. T., Bailey, A. K., Green, J. F., Sun, J., & Robinson, P. S. (2023). Resilience, Insight, Self-Compassion, and Empowerment (RISE): A randomized controlled trial of a psychoeducational group program for nurses. Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, 29(4), 314–327. https://doi.org/10.1177/10783903211033338
This randomized controlled trial evaluates the effectiveness of the RISE program (Resilience in Stressful Events), in an 8-week psychoeducational group intervention designed to enhance psychological resilience and reduce burnout among hospital-based registered nurses. The program is structured around four central themes: Resilience, Insight, Self-Compassion, and Empowerment and was assessed using a robust set of psychological and stress-related instruments. Seventy-five nurses participated, with those in the intervention group showing statistically significant improvements in resilience, self-awareness, self-compassion, along with significant reductions in perceived stess and emotional exhaustion, compared to both baseline and control group participants. By targeting both intrapersonal strengths and stress management skills, RISE moves beyond minimal interventions and promotes deeper, sustainable change in participants’ coping mechanisms. The findings of this study advocate for the integration of a structured, peer support program like RISE into institutional well-being strategies. The RISE program offers a consistent, evidence-based model that can be systematically implemented across many departments or health systems to proactively support nurse mental health. Overall, this study provides compelling evidence for nurse leaders, wellness coordinators, and healthcare policymakers that a structured program like RISE is not only effective in reducing stress and emotional fatigue, but also in fostering lasting psychological resilience. The research positions RISE as a replicable and measurable model for burnout prevention, mental well-being, and workforce sustainability in demanding clinical environments.
For example, a unit during high-stress periods, or increase in nurse call outs could implement the RISE program offering nurses an 8-week guided group experience as part of their continuing education or wellness benefit. These sessions could be facilitated by trained clinical educators or mental health professionals, integrated into shift schedules, and accompanied by leadership support and follow-up assessments to measure impact on staff well-being and retention.