Study Finds Direct Link Between Nurse Burnout and Negative Care Outcomes

On November 5, JAMA Network Open published a comprehensive review and meta-analysis of 85 studies involving 288,581 nurses over 30 years, examining the impact of nurse burnout on patient outcomes. Researchers found that burnout is associated with increased rates of hospital-acquired infections, patient falls, medication errors, adverse events, lower patient satisfaction, and reduced nurse-assessed quality of care. These associations held steady across variations in nurse age, sex, work experience, and geographic location. This review contrasts the findings from a targeted study of 90 nursing homes, which found no link between burnout and specific negative patient outcomes. These new insights underscore the potential benefits of system-level interventions to reduce nurse burnout, possibly improving patient outcomes.