The Impact of Training in Person-Centred Dementia Care and Supervision on Burnout in Nursing Home Nurses: A Mixed Methods Study

Abstract

Background: There is significant concern about nurse burnout in nursing homes. There has been little research to investigate whether training in person-centred care and supervision can reduce nursing home nurses’ burnout. Aims: To adapt training to be suitable for nursing home nurses and evaluate the impact of training and supervision on burnout and related outcomes. Study Design: Focus groups with nursing home nurses were used to inform adaptation of the training. Mixed methods were used to evaluate the impact of training and supervision employing a convergent parallel design, including a Randomised Controlled Trial with quantitative measures (primary outcome measure: the Maslach Burnout Inventory) to assess effectiveness and exploration of subjective experience using qualitative interviews. The findings of the RCT and qualitative interviews were then compared to determine the convergences and divergences. Findings: The training was adapted to include content on leadership and stress management. Hypotheses that the interventions would reduce burnout and impact on other quantitative outcomes were not supported. Qualitative interviews with nursing home nurses about training indicated that the nurses reported reduced burnout, enhanced self-efficacy, reduced isolation, better team working, more informed person centred dementia care and enhanced leadership. Nurses’ views on the impact of supervision included a range of benefits. There was convergence between quantitative measurement and subjective experience indicting significant levels of burnout, but divergence in terms of the impact of training in person-centred care and supervision. Conclusions: My study demonstrates that burnout is a significant issue for nursing home nurses in the UK. There was divergence in my findings in terms of the impact of training in person-centred care and supervision. The hypotheses about training and supervision having positive impact on burn-out were rejected. However, the qualitative findings suggest that nursing home nurses experienced positive benefits from the person-centred training and supervision, in particular on their sense of burnout, their approach to care and leadership skills. Recommendations are made regarding research, training and policy to address burnout in nursing home nurses.