Critical Care Nurses Study

A newly published study in the American Journal of Critical Care conducted by the American Academy of Nursing’s Million Hearts sub-committee of the Health Behavior Expert Panel chaired by Bernadette Melnyk, PhD, APRN-CNP, FAANP, FNAP, FAAN, found that critical care nurses in poor physical and mental health reported significantly more medical errors than nurses in better health.

The study, which involved other faculty and staff from the College of Nursing, including Sharon Tucker, PhD, APRN-CNS, NC-BC, FNAP, FAAN, Kate Gawlik, DNP, APRN-CNP, Alai Tan, PhD, and Andreanna Hsieh, MPH, also found that “nurses who perceived that their worksite was very supportive of their well-being were twice as likely to have better physical health.”

It is critically important that we understand some of the root causes that lead to medical errors and do everything we can to prevent them,” said Melnyk, who serves as vice president for health promotion, university chief wellness officer and dean of the Ohio State College of Nursing, and was  a lead author on the study. “It is clear that critical care nurses, like so many other clinicians, cannot continue to pour from an empty cup; system problems that contribute to burnout and poor health need to be fixed and nurses need support and investment in evidence-based programming and resources that enhance their well-being so they can take optimal care of patients.”

The authors quoted research on the prevalence of stress, anxiety, depression and burnout symptoms among critical care nurses as a basis for examining the potential correlation between well-being and medical errors. This study surveyed nearly 800 members of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. Findings included:

• 61% of those surveyed reported suboptimal physical health, while 51% reported suboptimal mental health.
• Approximately 40% screened positive for depression and over 50% screened positive for anxiety. 
• Those who reported worse health and well-being had a 31% to 62% higher likelihood of having made medical errors.
• Nurses who reported working in places that “provided greater support for wellness were more than twice as likely to have better personal health … and professional quality of life compared with those whose workplace provided little or no support.”

The authors mention that this study was conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic and that levels of stress, anxiety and depression are likely even higher in the current environment.

“The major implication of this study’s findings for hospital leaders and policy makers,” concluded the authors, “is that critical care nurses whose well-being is supported by their organizations are more likely to be fully engaged in patient care and make fewer medical errors, resulting in better patient outcomes and more lives saved.”