Theoretical Approach to Examining Effect of Burnout on Quality Care Services

Background: Offering high-quality care is a shared goal among all health systems. Unfortunately, the prevalence of nurse burnout jeopardizes the quality of care, patient safety, and staff well-being, thereby creating a serious practice concern. Purpose: This article aims to discuss how the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory can assist in examining the link between burnout and the quality of care service. Discussion: The COR theory was built around stress and the assumption of four resources necessary for human functioning. These resources are objects, personal characteristics, conditions, and energies. A lack of any of these four resources leads to increased levels of stress, causing burnout, which in turn affects nurses' ability to provide professional high-quality care to patients. Implications for Nursing: Guided by this theory, researchers can examine the relationship between lack of resources, burnout, and quality care. As a result of this effort, interventions may be proposed to reduce burnout and improve quality of care and patient outcomes.