Burnt out SA nurses planning to quit, even before the pandemic hit

They were already worn out before the pandemic hit, and new figures suggest SA’s frontline health carers are at breaking point.

South Australian nurses and midwives are the most emotionally exhausted in the nation, new research indicates — and that was before the pandemic hit.

A 2019 survey of 1534 nurses and midwives found alarming levels of emotional exhaustion and a high proportion of staff intending to quit.

The situation has worsened since a 2017 survey and the research concludes: “The combined magnitude and increase in Emotional Exhaustion and Depersonalisation over a two-year period is of concern and justifies the need for urgent action to address work characteristics as the primary drivers of burnout.”

Nursing and midwifery burnout research *Professor Marion Eckert, Pictures supplied by Prof Eckert.

The work by the University of South Australia for the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation defines burnout as a “persistent dysfunctional state resulting from a chronically stressful working environment, thought to arise when an individual’s job demands exceed the resources available to manage them.”

One of the study authors, Professor Marion Eckert, director of UniSA’s Rosemary Bryant AO Research Centre, said the pandemic was likely to fuel further burnout.

“We didn’t have good results in 2019 and with the pandemic we are predicting it is now potentially worse,” she said.

Prof Eckert said the pandemic had triggered interest in working in the health sector “but we really need a co-ordinated statewide strategy to support and retain nurses and midwives.”

Half of those surveyed planned to leave their job within the next five years, including 15 per cent within 12 months.

UniSA PhD student Imogen Ramsey has written a discussion paper noting the findings come against a backdrop of a 2014 study which projected Australia will have a shortfall of 123,000 nurses by 2030.

The paper says emotional exhaustion resembles stress and is often considered the primary element of burnout, but workers who are burnt out are not just exhausted – they have lost a sense of meaning and psychological connection to their work.

“A lack of empathy, crucial to clinical competence, means nurses and midwives may be present in their jobs but not engaging with their patients, while a lack of accomplishment signals that nurses and midwives feel unable to provide patient care to their satisfaction,” the paper states.

It says nurses are susceptible to burnout because they are frequently exposed to trauma, make critical decisions under pressure and have emotionally demanding interactions with clients, compounded by an excessive workload and irregular hours.

It warns SA has an “overextended workforce approaching a critical tipping point” and calls for urgent action to support and retain nurses and midwives.

In May, public sector nurses won a 2 per cent pay rise a year, for three years, in a deal that includes an assurance SA Health will commit to early implementation of violence and fatigue policies throughout the health system.