A landmark international study finds that hospitals with better nurse staffing and work environments not only benefits nurses but is significantly associated with less physician burnout and job dissatisfaction.
2 min. read
A research team, led by Penn Nursing’s Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research (CHOPR), finds that hospitals with better nurse staffing, supportive work environments, and effective interdisciplinary teamwork had substantially lower rates of physician burnout, job dissatisfaction, and intent to leave. The team surveyed more than 6,400 physicians and 15,000 nurses across the United States and six European countries (Belgium, England, Germany, Ireland, Norway, and Sweden).
“Physician burnout is a global crisis, but few actionable solutions have been identified,” says Linda H. Aiken, a professor of nursing and sociology and founding director of CHOPR. “Our study provides evidence that investing in nurses is a ‘two-for-one’ solution—improving both nurse and physician wellbeing while also strengthening patient care.”
The key findings show that in U.S. hospitals, a modest 10% improvement in the nurse work environment including staffing adequacy was associated with a 22% reduction in physician intent to leave, a 25% reduction in physicians unwilling to recommend their hospital as a place to work, a 19% reduction in physician job dissatisfaction, and a 10% reduction in physicians experiencing high burnout.
In European hospitals, a 10% increase in nurse staffing adequacy was linked to a 20% lower physician intent to leave, 27% lower odds of not recommending their hospital, 15% lower physician job dissatisfaction, and 12% lower odds of high burnout. And hospitals with stronger physician-nurse teamwork consistently reported better physician outcomes.
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