Nurse burnout and patient safety, satisfaction and quality of care (5 November 2024)

Summary

This systematic review in JAMA Network Open aimed to assess the magnitude and moderators of the association between nurse burnout and healthcare quality and safety. The meta-analysis covered 85 studies which included 288, 581 nurses. The results show that nurse burnout was associated with:

• a lower patient safety climate and patient safety grade
• more nosocomial infections, patient falls, medication errors and adverse events
• lower patient satisfaction ratings
• lower nurse-assessed quality of care.

The associations were consistent across nurse age, sex, work experience and geography. Based on these findings, the authors of the study suggest that systems-level interventions for nurse burnout may improve patient outcomes.