Empathy, experience of burnout and attitudes towards demented patients among nursing staff in geriatric care

Abstract

A non-anonymous questionnaire was distributed to all nursing staff (n = 557) including RNs, LPNs (psychiatric), LPNs (somatic) and nurses' aides, in one nursing home, one somatic long-term care clinic and one psychogeriatric clinic. Scales measuring empathy, burnout experience and attitudes towards demented patients were included in the questionnaire. The aim of the study was to compare levels of empathy, burnout experience and attitudes among different categories of nursing staff and to examine connections between empathy, burnout and attitudes. The nursing staff showed an overall figure of moderately well-developed empathy and the RNs showed the highest empathy. The RNs had a significantly lower degree of burnout compared to the nurses' aides and the LPNs. Of all respondents, 27.4% were assessed at risk from burnout. Overall, the staff showed a moderately positive attitude towards demented patients and the RNs were most positive. No linear correlation was found between empathy, burnout experience and attitudes. However, a weak negative correlation between burnout and empathy is in accordance with other authors who are suggesting that burnout experience leads to lower empathy in the nursing staff. The fact that the RNs showed the most positive attitudes towards demented patients and had the highest level of empathy compared to LPNs and nurses' aides could be related to lower degree of burnout assessed in the RNs. Qualitative and quantitative overload among the LPNs and nurses' aides connected to the growing number of demented patients in the institutions examined are discussed.

Time for Change: The Role of Nonpharmacological Interventions in Treating Behavior Problems in Nursing Home Residents With Dementia

“…Many institutions believe that providing informed care will add expenses, despite evidence that not providing informed care leads to other types of expenses, such as staff burden and turnover, [19][20][21][22] and unnecessary institutionalization, or admissions to acute psychiatric units. 23,24 Moreover, expertise in nonpharmacological intervention and improving residents' quality of life are likely to attract customers, improve staff retention, and eventually decrease regulatory burden, making the absence, rather than the presence, of good care to be financially unfeasible.…”

Psychogeriatric Care in a Forensic Setting: Mitigating Stress and Burnout for Forensic Nurses

“…the job requires skills and knowledge exceeding those of the staff." 4 Through these other strategies, forensic centres would be allowed to adapt and tailor the nursing care to the needs of patients with dementia.…”

“…4 Easing the workload by having psychiatric care aides manage simpler tasks frees up time for the regular staff to carry out higher priority job functions, such as psychiatric assessments, and management of other acute psychiatric patients. However, it should also be noted that psychiatric care aides would also be susceptible to burnout and moral distress issues as well, and therefore this option helps with the management of geriatric patients, but is not a permanent solution.…”

“…the job requires skills and knowledge exceeding those of the staff ." 4 Àstrom et al supports increased training of the staff concerning the special needs of dementia patients, medical treatment of dementia, and improvement of relationships between patients and staff . 4 It is the purpose of this paper to highlight the urgent matter of caring for seniors in forensic settings and to explore possible interventions that can facilitate this process.…”

Factores de personalidad, perceptuales y cognitivas asociadas con las experiencias anómalo/paranormales en personal de enfermería

“…Aunque hay una aceptación general del vínculo positivo entre la empatía, los pacientes y la competencia clínica, todavía existen algunas inconsistencias entre la empatía y el bienestar de las enfermeras 55 . Por ejemplo, hay resultados controvertidos sobre las correlaciones entre empatía y estrés laboral [56][57] .…”