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Long-term
care staff "emotionally exhausted" :
Ottawa-Carleton
study
June 2003- A study published
in the Journal of the Canadian Geriatrics Society concludes that
"staff burnout does not auger well for the provision of high-quality
care to residents of long-term care facilities" (Geriatrics
Today, Vol.5 No.3, September 2002).
Led by Margaret Ross, RN, PhD, University of Ottawa, the aim of the
study was to determine the level of burnout reported by personnel working
at nine long-term care facilities within the Ottawa-Carleton region.
A questionnaire was mailed out and the final analysis was based on feedback
from 227 returned questionnaires (86 registered nurses, 92 registered
practical nurses, 49 health-care aides). Most respondents were female
and married with children. Just under half worked full time with cognitively
impaired seniors. Most had been in their jobs for an average of 12 years.
How burnout is measured
There is a standard, scientific method for measuring burnout among healthcare
professionals. It is called the Maslach Burnout Inventory, and this
was adapted by Dr. Ross and colleagues to measure burnout in long-term
care staff. The test specifically measures emotional exhaustion, depersonalization,
personal accomplishment and involvement.
Emotional exhaustion
This segment of the Maslach Burnout Inventory refers to feelings of
being overextended and exhausted by one's work. In the Ottawa-Carleton
study, health-care aides scored significantly higher on this segment
when compared with registered nurses or registered practical nurses.
The investigators note that this is a "troublesome finding, because
the bulk of the hands-on care dealing with the immediate daily needs
of residents in long-term care facilities is provided by health-care
aides."
Depersonalization
This segment of the inventory measures feelings of callousness toward
residents, excessive detachment, and the tendency to treat residents
like objects. Fortunately, the workers in the Ottawa-Carleton study
scored low in this segment.
Personal Accomplishment
This segment of the inventory measures feelings of competence and successful
achievement at work. The Ottawa-Carleton study found no significant
differences when the replies from healthcare aides, registered nurses
and registered practical nurses were compared. Respondents scored high
in this category.
Personal Involvement
This segment of the inventory measures how involved the caregiver is
with the resident. For example, the caregiver may take a task-based
approach to care as opposed to a person-centered approach that goes
beyond task performance. Unfortunately, workers in this study scored
low in the area of personal involvement.
The authors suggest
that it is important for long-care facilities to reduce situations that
create emotional exhaustion among staff members (allow for adequate
staffing, flexibility and choice with respect to assignment, participation
in clinical decision-making, adequate resources for work well done).
They recommend that facilities increase opportunities for personal involvement
(adopting a person-based approach instead of a task-based approach).
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