CE: Nurses Are More Exhausted Than Ever: What Should We Do About It?

Alison M Trinkoff; Carol M Baldwin; Eileen R Chasens; Jacqueline Dunbar-Jacob; Jeanne Geiger-Brown; Christopher C Imes; Carol A Landis; Patricia A Patrician; Nancy S Redeker; Ann E Rogers; Linda D Scott; Catherine M Todero; Sharon J Tucker; Sharon M Weinstein; Fatigue Subgroup of the Health Behavior Expert Panel, American Academy of Nursing

doi:10.1097/01.NAJ.0000802688.16426.8d

CE: Nurses Are More Exhausted Than Ever: What Should We Do About It?

Am J Nurs. 2021 Dec 1;121(12):18-28. doi: 10.1097/01.NAJ.0000802688.16426.8d.

Authors

Alison M Trinkoff¹, Carol M Baldwin, Eileen R Chasens, Jacqueline Dunbar-Jacob, Jeanne Geiger-Brown, Christopher C Imes, Carol A Landis, Patricia A Patrician, Nancy S Redeker, Ann E Rogers, Linda D Scott, Catherine M Todero, Sharon J Tucker, Sharon M Weinstein; Fatigue Subgroup of the Health Behavior Expert Panel, American Academy of Nursing

Affiliation

¹ Alison M. Trinkoff is a professor at the University of Maryland School of Nursing, Baltimore. Carol M. Baldwin is professor emeritus and a Southwest Borderlands Scholar at Arizona State University's Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Phoenix. Eileen R. Chasens is a professor and chair of the Department of Health and Community Systems, University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing, Pittsburgh, PA, where Jacqueline Dunbar-Jacob is dean and a distinguished service professor and Christopher C. Imes is an assistant professor. Now retired, at the time of this writing Jeanne Geiger-Brown was a professor and associate dean for research at the George Washington University School of Nursing, Washington, DC. Carol A. Landis is a professor emeritus at the University of Washington School of Nursing, Seattle. Patricia A. Patrician is a professor and the Rachel Z. Booth Endowed Chair at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing, and a retired U.S. Army colonel. Nancy S. Redeker is the Beatrice Renfield Term Professor of Nursing at the Yale University School of Nursing, New Haven, CT. Ann E. Rogers is a professor at the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University, Atlanta. Linda D. Scott is a professor and dean of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Nursing. Catherine M. Todero is dean of the College of Nursing and vice provost of Health Sciences at Creighton University, Omaha, NE, and Phoenix, AZ. Sharon J. Tucker is the Grayce Sills Endowed Professor in Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing and director of the Translational/Implementation Research Core at the Ohio State University College of Nursing, Columbus. Sharon M. Weinstein is chief executive officer of the Global Education Development Institute, and SMW Group LLC, North Bethesda, MD, and a clinical assistant professor at the College of Nursing, University of Illinois, Chicago. This article was a collaborative effort by the Fatigue Subgroup of the Health Behavior Expert Panel, American Academy of Nursing. The authors acknowledge Claire C. Caruso, PhD, RN, a research health scientist at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, for her help in reviewing the manuscript. Contact author: Alison M. Trinkoff, atrinkoff@umaryland.edu . The authors and planners have disclosed no potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise. A podcast with the authors is available at www.ajnonline.com .

PMID: 34743129
DOI: 10.1097/01.NAJ.0000802688.16426.8d

Abstract

For nurses, the challenges posed by demanding work environments and schedules often lead to fatigue, and this can be exacerbated during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. In this article, the authors discuss causes and challenges of nurse fatigue and consider several evidence-based strategies and solutions for individual nurses and organizations. Barriers to implementation, including a negative workplace culture and inadequate staffing, are also described, and several resources are presented.

MeSH terms

COVID-19 / nursing
Fatigue / epidemiology*
Fatigue / prevention & control*
Humans
Nurses / psychology*
Workforce / statistics & numerical data
Workplace / organization & administration
Workplace / psychology