Study Suggests Possible Solutions for Work-Related Stress and Burnout Among Health Care Workers

Two School of Nursing researchers, Michelle Kober, PhD candidate, and Yu-Ping Chang, associate dean for research and Patricia H. and Richard E. Garman Endowed Professor, recently published a study in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine revealing crucial insights about health care workers’ experiences of workplace stress and burnout.

The researchers interviewed 27 health care workers from five organizations in New York State. The study’s findings conclude that burnout affects both workers’ well-being and the quality of patient care. Additionally, workers cited a lack of support from organizational leadership when it comes to managing their stress levels and mental health.

This study addresses a critical need for more research about stress management and burnout from the perspective of health care professionals.

“Organizations should know what it is that they can do to better support our health care workers, and this study reveals some of what is needed," Kober said.

The World Health Organization defines burnout as a phenomenon caused by “chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.”  An American Nurses Foundation survey of more than 7,400 nurses conducted in 2023 indicated that 56% of nurses report feeling burned out.

The study’s respondents discussed staff shortages, coworker conflict and interactions, strategies to mitigate stress, impacts of work-related stress and managing stress and burnout in the workplace.

Chang noted that the study’s findings suggest an urgent need for programmatic changes within health care organizations to address burnout.

Chang and Kober conducted this study as part of a nearly $2 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration, which is designed to increase the mental health workforce in Western New York. Chang is the principal investigator of the HRSA-funded workforce resilience training program, which promotes using Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) to reduce stress and burnout among health care workers.

Kober explained that the study’s results show that mental health support and resiliency trainings are essential for new employee onboarding and should be offered annually so health care organizations can provide continuous support for their workforce.

Chang echoed the need for organizational implementation of resiliency trainings and mental health supports.

“The findings of this paper underscore the urgent need for a comprehensive and sustainable resilience training program within healthcare organizations,” Chang said. 

By SHANNON O'SULLIVAN