Management of work stress and burnout among community nurses arising from the COVID-19 pandemic

Br J Community Nurs. 2021 Aug 2;26(8):384-389. doi: 10.12968/bjcn.2021.26.8.384.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased workload demands for many NHS staff including those working in the community. Nurse managers can make a difference by being authentic leaders, nurturing a supportive organisation where the workload is managed participatively and self-kindness is legitimate. Unfortunately some staff may experience burnout and this article presents a personal management plan to address the symptoms of burnout and aid recovery, although it cannot promote a total recovery if the cause of the symptoms remains unaddressed.

Keywords: Burnout; COVID-19; Self-kindness; Stress; Workload demand.

MeSH terms

  • Burnout, Professional / prevention & control*
  • COVID-19 / epidemiology*
  • Community Health Nursing / organization & administration
  • Humans
  • Leadership
  • Models, Psychological
  • Nurses, Community Health / psychology*
  • Occupational Stress / prevention & control*
  • Pandemics*
  • Psychosocial Support Systems
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • United Kingdom
  • Work Schedule Tolerance
  • Workload