Primary care Practice Environment and Burnout among Nurse Practitioners

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Management
• Occupational Health

Background:

• Poor practice environments are linked to nurse practitioner (NP) burnout.
• Favorable environments with support, resources, autonomy, and collegial relations may prevent burnout.
• While 69% of NPs provide primary care, the association between their practice environment and burnout is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between specific environmental factors and NP burnout.
• To identify key aspects of the practice environment that may mitigate NP burnout.

Main Methods:

• A survey was administered to 396 nurse practitioners.
• Burnout levels and perceptions of the practice environment were assessed.
• Statistical analysis was used to determine associations between environmental factors and burnout risk.

Main Results:

• Overall, 25.3% of surveyed NPs reported burnout.
• Higher scores in professional visibility, NP-physician relations, NP-administration relations, independent practice, and support were associated with significantly lower burnout risk (51%, 51%, 58%, and 56% reduction, respectively).

Conclusions:

• Positive practice environments, characterized by strong professional visibility, supportive relationships (with physicians and administration), and autonomy, are crucial for preventing NP burnout.
• Interventions aimed at improving these environmental factors may effectively reduce burnout rates among nurse practitioners, particularly those in primary care.