The Business Case for Addressing Burnout in Frontline Leaders: A Toolkit of Interventions From Nurse Executives Around the United States.

Abstract

In 2019, the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine identified clinician burnout as a major problem that required immediate action because of its threat to both health care worker safety and patient safety. Unfortunately, the rise of COVID-19 in 2020 with no signs of a clear ending (as of the summer of 2022) has compounded this problem. Consequently, much focus has been placed by many to address clinician burnout and help alleviate this major threat to safety. Unfortunately, compared with clinician burnout, articles and resources to address frontline leader (FL) burnout are fewer. FLs are key to supporting teams and are integral to their success. They also execute and operationalize organizational strategic plans to ensure patient safety at the point of care. The burnout issue with bedside clinicians is a big issue, a fractured fault line in our health care system. However, without addressing the well-being of FLs, this fault line becomes a chasm. The column shares background from the American Organization for Nursling Leadership longitudinal studies and other pertinent research. It also provides examples of practices across the nation of how nurse executives are supporting their teams and promoting leader support and well-being.