Ten Areas for ICU Clinicians to Be Aware of to Help Retain Nurses in the ICU

Overview

Journal Crit Care

Specialty Critical Care

Date 2022 Oct 13

PMID 36229859

Authors

Jean-Louis Vincent

Carole Boulanger

Margo M C van Mol

Laura Hawryluck

Elie Azoulay

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Shortage of nurses on the ICU is not a new phenomenon, but has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The underlying reasons are relatively well-recognized, and include excessive workload, moral distress, and perception of inappropriate care, leading to burnout and increased intent to leave, setting up a vicious circle whereby fewer nurses result in increased pressure and stress on those remaining. Nursing shortages impact patient care and quality-of-work life for all ICU staff and efforts should be made by management, nurse leaders, and ICU clinicians to understand and ameliorate the factors that lead nurses to leave. Here, we highlight 10 broad areas that ICU clinicians should be aware of that may improve quality of work-life and thus potentially help with critical care nurse retention.

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