Using participatory management to empower nurses to identify and prioritize the drivers of their burnout

ABSTRACT

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic contributed to intensified nurse burnout. Workplace factors influence burnout, requiring organizational-level action to mitigate this problem. Aim: To inform immediate and long-term organizational tactics, we created workforce-informed recommendations for addressing burnout by engaging our nursing workforce to identify and prioritize the factors driving their burnout. Methods: We creatively applied the participatory management LISTEN-SORT-EMPOWER model to gather nurse views on burnout, capturing data through focus group sessions and mobile app postings. We coded findings through thematic and sentiment analysis, and participants ranked these results to prioritize the factors of their burnout. Results: We collected 80 h of feedback and 603 app comments, resulting in 800,000+ words. Our analysis identified twelve drivers of burnout, including three themes (1) Staffing shortages (660;43.8%);(2) Environment and culture (548;36.4%);(3) Total compensation (299;19.8%). Additionally, 1300+ nurses chose income, workload/stress injury, and work schedule as uppermost priorities for addressing their burnout. Conclusions: Through novel project methods, leaders embraced participatory management to actively partner with nurses in identifying the drivers of nurse burnout. Healthcare organizations can design relevant and effective interventions to lessen clinician burnout by directly engaging and partnering with those experiencing burnout. © 2023 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.