The Stressed out Nurse:
With demanding schedules and workloads, nurses are under more stress than ever! This work-related stress takes a physical and metal toll in every facet of their lives. Among the many impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, its effects on mental health have proven to be widespread and substantial. In January 2021, four out of 10 adults in the United States reported symptoms of anxiety or depression disorder – a 400 percent increase from January 2019.
There are many reasons nurses experience burnout regularly in their profession. It includes exposure to viruses, work overload, workplace violence, and numerous other factors. Burnout reduces work and personal happiness/satisfaction, focus, employee safety and various aspects of medical care. In addition, it negatively affects patient safety and coworker morale.
Anxiety Work Overload
Work overload in nursing results from the high patient volume, inadequate staffing, overtime and increased expectations. Unfortunately, it reduces patient safety, medical care and at times increases medical errors. It also stresses nurses to perform at peak levels despite overwhelming and sometimes unachievable expectations to perform at peak levels despite overwhelming and sometimes unachievable expectations.
An astonishing 63% of nurses, that love their profession, feel they are suffering from burn-out. Nursing is a challenging profession, even with adequate staffing and support. However, it’s problematic when nurses receive increasing workloads inadequate staffing, overtime and increased expectations.
New Study Finds Employee Well-being Programs Will Yield 47% Business ROI in 2023
Hospitals need to address this growing concern with their current nursing staff to keep morale high. Healthcare facilities must ensure they provide lots of support to nurses dealing with stress. Otherwise, burnout is a possibility, leading some nurses to have reduced performance or to quit their profession entirely. Especially since the demand for qualified nursing professionals continues to increase.
8 Signs of Burnout
- Exhaustion or feeling overwhelmed
- Physical symptoms such as chronic headache or fatigue
- Anger or irritability
- Distancing themselves from their work
- Nervousness or feeling uncertain
- Low motivation
- Sadness
- Difficulty concentrating
2.1. Fostering a healthy workforce isn’t just the right thing to do. It’s good for business
Avalere Health, commissioned by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce study determined that employer-sponsored wellness programs will yield a 47% average return on investment (ROI) to employers this year.
THE COST OF DOING NOTHING EQUATESTO 40% OF JOB TURNOVER DUE TO STRESS
- 40% of job turnover is due to stress
- Healthcare expenditures are nearly 50% greater for workers who report high levels of stress
- Replacing an average employee costs 120-200% of the salary of the position affected
- The average cost of absenteeism in a large company is more than $3.6 million/year
How will your hospital benefit from this service?
In layman’s terms: For every dollar an employer spends on workforce health, they get back $1.47 in financial benefits. The study predicts that the average ROI will grow to 52% by 2026, with businesses that invest more into employee health programs seeing even higher ROIs.
The report defines investment into employee health to include health insurance premiums, wellness programs, direct medical expenses, administrative costs associated with processing medical claims, and other costs associated with providing health programs.
According to Mike Triplett, President of Cigna’s U.S. commercial business “We’ve always known that there is a great benefit in supporting the health and well-being of America’s workforce, and this research from Avalere helps to quantify the ROI for fostering a culture of health,” “It also reinforces that healthy workforces are more productive, engaged, and drive better business outcomes through lower direct medical costs, increased productivity, lower recruitment costs, and stronger retention.”
Kronos Survey Finds That Nurses Love What They Do Though Fatigue is a Pervasive Problem
- 98% of nurses say that the work of a nurse is both physically and mentally demanding
- 93% state that at the end of a typical day, they are mentally and/or physically tired
- 4 out of 5 nurses say they find it hard to balance mind, body and spirit
- 85% note that their work causes them to be fatigued overall, with resulting consequences
- 56% of nurses overall and 70% of night-shift nurses say they have driven home from work drowsy
- 40% of nurses worry their patient care will suffer because they are so tired
- 37% of nurses say they worry about making a mistake, with 11% stating they have made mistakes at work because of fatigue Difficulty concentrating
Chair Massage Benefits More Than You Think
At first, it may not seem like much – after all, how much good can really happen in ten, twenty or even thirty minutes of chair massages at the office?
The answer turns out to be: a lot! Studies have shown that the benefits of corporate massages; are almost instant. The brain begins to recharge in just a few minutes and with just the right touch, tired muscles feel rejuvenated right away. What better way to tell your employees that you care about their physical well-being.
A Chair Massage Program benefits more than your employees but also your patients! Your workforce is put in a good mood – the better to engage with customers or do whatever they do – and leaves them feeling quite upbeat about your hospital.
3.1. Maximize the Benefits with Regular Scheduled Visits
For a nurse, whose job is both physically and psychologically demanding, a chair massage treatment can be the very thing to restore mental and physical well-being. Just imagine how much more good can occur when the brain and the body are being refreshed in tandem, on a regular basis. Rested workers are relaxed and ready to get down to business.
A Friend in Knead, (AFIK) offers a comprehensive On-Site Wellness solution for muscles and mind, workforce and management. AFIK can schedule certified mobile massage therapists for weekly, bi-weekly or monthly visits to your hospital guaranteed to keep your nurses productive, energetic and feeling good about themselves and their careers.
Job stress is estimated to cost American companies more than $300 billion a year in health costs, absenteeism and poor performance. Even on the best days, it is necessary to ensure stress levels are maintained to ensure employees are focused and determined to achieve organizational goals. A Friend In Knead, understands the pandemic has been a monumental task, and has taken a toll! Therefore, we would be humbled to serve your staff.
We are all in this together! A good chair massage program is a great perk that leaves nurses feeling perky – it’s guaranteed to pay for itself in productivity and positive energy.
From our hearts to yours, we look forward to fulfilling your kneads
Source : newsroom.cigna.com
Source : www.businesswire.com
Source : www.kff.org
