Scoping review with textual narrative synthesis of the literature reporting stress and burn-out in specialist nurses: making the case for inflammatory bowel disease nurse specialists.

OBJECTIVE: Inflammatory bowel disease clinical nurse specialists (IBD-CNSs) face increasing pressures due to rising clinical and patient demands, advanced complexity of work role, and minimal specialist management training and support. Stress and burn-out could undermine the stability of this workforce, disrupting clinical provision. We reviewed the literature on stress and burn-out to demonstrate the lack of evidence pertinent to IBD-CNSs and make the case for further research. DESIGN: Following Levac et al's scoping review framework, relevant databases were searched for publications reporting work-related stress and burn-out among specialist nurses. Following screening and consensus on selection of the final articles for review, all authors contributed to data charting. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Scoping Review extension guided reporting of the review. RESULTS: Of 194 retrieved articles, eight were eligible for review. None focused on IBD-CNSs, were qualitative, or UK-based. Three core themes were identified: Rates of Burn-out, Mitigating and Alleviating Factors, and Preventing and Resolving Burn-out. Risk of burn-out is greatest in novice and mid-career CNSs. Age and duration in role appear protective. Personal achievement is also protective and can mitigate earlier episodes of burn-out; opportunities for career progression are limited. Promoting personal well-being is beneficial. Senior managers have poor understanding of the role and provide inadequate support. Commitment to patients remains high. CONCLUSION: Burn-out arises in CNSs across clinical specialisms in the international literature and has a significant negative effect on the workforce. Further research is needed to address the dearth of evidence on burn-out in IBD-CNSs in the UK.

Specialist inflammatory bowel disease nursing in the UK: current situation and future proofing.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact to date of the ongoing Crohn's & Colitis UK inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) clinical nurse specialists (CNS) campaign. METHODS: A survey-based design was used. 2 questionnaires were sent to the UK IBD nursing community and promoted via nursing and clinical networks. Respondents were asked to provide data at both an individual and trust level about their nursing services. RESULTS: 394 IBD CNS posts were identified across the UK, with a 32% increase in posts since the start of the campaign. 27% felt the campaign had been influential in securing new posts. Greater numbers of posts were reported in England when compared with the devolved nations. Most services remain below the UK standards recommendation of 2.5 IBD CNS per 250 000 patient population. Cross site working was reported in 59% of services. 45% of respondents were non-medical prescribers, with 13% educated to MSc level. High levels of stress were reported by IBD CNS associated with managing advice line services. CONCLUSIONS: Crohn's & Colitis UK's 'More IBD Nurses-Better Care' campaign has contributed to the numbers of CNS posts in IBD continuing to rise, but they remain lower than the recommended standard of 2.5 IBD CNS per 250 000. Educational and career pathways are not clearly defined, and aspects of the role such as advice line provision contribute to stress within the workforce. The ongoing aims of the charity campaign hope to address these issues by improving access to formal education pathways with peer support for IBD specialist nurses, and advice line training, in addition to supporting trusts and services throughout the UK to reduce the workforce deficit with effective business cases.

Modelling the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Specialist Nurse Workforce Standards by Determination of Optimum Caseloads in the UK.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are the most common forms of inflammatory bowel disease [IBD], affecting 1 in 250 of the population in the UK. It is accepted that access to a specialist nurse service improves patient experience and outcome. National Standards for the Healthcare of People Who Have Inflammatory Bowel Disease [2013] defined the number of nurse specialists required at 1.5 full time equivalent per 250000 population. The aim of this study was to determine if these standards were being met and to publish a new, robust, validated standard optimising the UK nursing workforce model. METHODS: Existing national data and specific workload and service data were collected from 164 IBD specialist nurses who completed a questionnaire designed to collect information on activity and complexity of work both done and undone. RESULTS: Data were received from all of the UK; 36% of respondents were specialist nurses in the field for 3 years or less. A higher caseload than the recommended level was reported by 63% of respondents. Unpaid overtime was regularly carried out by 84% of respondents. The IBD specialist nurse was involved in all areas of the patient pathway. Areas of work left undone were psychological interventions, prescribing medicines and physical assessments. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with other specialties, IBD specialist nurses are less experienced. It is recommended that the current standard be increased to 2.5 full time equivalent specialist nurses per 250000 patients, to mitigate the increasing complexity of the role, care and the 'rookie' factor.

An important specialism.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) nurse specialists provide invaluable support and expertise to patients to help improve their quality of life and give them more control over their treatment.

Continence care for patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic illness that causes inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms commonly include frequency, urgency and faecal leaking or incontinence. This article discusses the causes of incontinence in IBD, medical and practical aspects of management and the role of the nurse in supporting patients living with often embarrassing symptoms.