Relationship between nurse burnout, patient and organizational outcomes: Systematic review
Abstract
Background Burnout, characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and decreased personal accomplishments, poses a significant burden on individual nurses' health and mental wellbeing. As growing evidence highlights the adverse consequences of burnout for clinicians, patients, and organizations, it is imperative to examine nurse burnout in the healthcare system.Objective The purpose of this review is to systematically and critically appraise the current literature to examine the associations between nurse burnout and patient and hospital organizational outcomes.Design and data sources A systematic review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses was conducted. PubMed, CINAHL, PsychInfo, Scopus, and Embase were the search engines used. The inclusion criteria were any primary studies examining burnout among nurses working in hospitals as an independent variable, in peer-reviewed journals, and written in English. The search was performed from October 2018 to January 2019 and updated in January and October 2020.Results A total of 20 studies were included in the review. The organizational-related outcomes associated with nurse burnout were (1) patient safety, (2) quality of care, (3) nurses' organizational commitment, (4) nurse productivity, and (5) patient satisfaction. For these themes, nurse burnout was consistently inversely associated with outcome measures.Conclusions Nurse burnout is an occupational hazard affecting nurses, patients, organizations, and society at large. Nurse burnout is associated with worsening safety and quality of care, decreased patient satisfaction, and nurses' organizational commitment and productivity. Traditionally, burnout is viewed as an individual issue. However, reframing burnout as an organizational and collective phenomenon affords the broader perspective necessary to address nurse burnout. Tweetable abstract: Not only nurse burnout associated w/ worsening safety & quality of care, but also w/ nurses' organizational commitment and productivity. Reframing burnout, as an organizational & collective phenomenon is necessary.
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Burnout prevalence in healthcare settings is 50% or higher.
“Various studies indicate burnout prevalence of 50% and higher in healthcare settings (1–4)”
From Digital resilience interventions for healthcare workers: a systematic review (2025) · cites this paper as [2]
Burnout has physical consequences including heart disease, chronic pain, gastrointestinal issues, and mortality.
“Burnout also has physical consequences, including heart disease, chronic pain, gastrointestinal issues, and even mortality (2)”
From Digital resilience interventions for healthcare workers: a systematic review (2025) · cites this paper as [2]
Healthcare worker burnout impacts patient well-being and safety, leading to lower quality of care, reduced patient satisfaction, and higher rates of medical errors.
“Studies show that these issues also impact patient well-being and safety, leading to lower quality of care, reduced patient satisfaction, and higher rates of medical errors (2, 11).”
From Digital resilience interventions for healthcare workers: a systematic review (2025) · cites this paper as [2]
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- Authors
- Jun, J., Ojemeni, M. M., Kalamani, R., Tong, J., & Crecelius, M. L.
- Affiliations
- The Ohio State University (US)
- University of Michigan (US)
- SSM Health Care (US)
- Corresponding author
- Jun, Jin
- Venue
- International Journal of Nursing Studies
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2021-07
- Volume
- 119
- Pages
- 103933
- ISSN
- 0020-7489 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W3141475856
- Cited by
- 606
- References
- 64
- Citations by year
- 2026: 145 · 2025: 166 · 2024: 142 · 2023: 88 · 2022: 50 · 2021: 13 · 2017: 1
- FWCI
- 15.08
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- Locations
- International Journal of Nursing Studies (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- University of Michigan
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Occupational Therapy › Occupational Health and Burnout
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Stress and Burnout Research
- Keywords
- nurse burnout, emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, patient safety, quality of care, organizational commitment, nursing productivity, patient satisfaction, occupational stress in nursing
- MeSH terms
- Burnout, Professional, Hospital Administration, Humans, Job Satisfaction, Nursing Staff, Hospital, Patient Satisfaction, Patient Safety
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