Nurses' Well-being in the Burnout Society

Addressing burnout culture by creating camaraderie in the nursin workforce

Partners
Duration
Jan 2023 - June 2023
Sector
Healthcare, Well-being
The Brief

The underlying cause of the mass exodus of NHS nurses in the UK in 2022 was burnout and poor mental health. The nursing workforce is continually diminishing, disrupting healthcare delivery.

Intervention & Impact

Collaborated with a team of three to unpack Oasis' vision, co-create solutions with relevant stakeholders, and deliver detailed service blueprints and operations guides for supporting their staff. The project was presented to the Principal Director of Oasis Restore and representatives of the UK Ministry of Justice.

My Role

Coco is a service that weaves a tapestry of shared experiences and mutual support for nurses, bridging the gap between physical and digital interaction and fostering a culture of support, validation, and belonging. By enhancing shift coordination and easing communication, Coco creates a culture of camaraderie, improving the well-being of nurses. Engaged staff plummet attrition rates, fortifying the continuity of care by improving patient outcomes.

Skills Leveraged
Literature Review
Stakeholder Interview
Writing Briefs
Workshop Faciliation
Journey Mapping
Business Model Generation

Discovery

01/06

Conducted in-depth stakeholder interviews to understand the landscape of burnout faced by healthcare professionals, uncovering insights that guided the strategic direction to the experience of nurses.

During the Discovery phase, I conducted in-depth interviews with key stakeholders like nurses, doctors, healthcare experts and subject matter experts focusing on addressing burnout and improving mental well-being of healthcare professionals. Delving into extensive literature reviews, I unearthed the landscape of burnout research, unveiling its profound impact on individuals and the remarkable sociological evolution that shapes how people experience and navigate this formidable challenge. The synthesis of the qualitative and quantitative data from my research led to the generation of key insights that shaped the further direction of the project.

Key Insights
01
Never enough time.

Most nurses struggle to prioritize or make time for their own well-being.

02
Need to feel valued.

Recognition for their efforts is a core psychological need that makes them feel fulfilled at work.

03
Disconnection triggers burnout.

A lack of camaraderie and disconnection from coworkers is one of the biggest causes of burnout.

The Challenge

This Burnout Prevention Matrix maps out some of the best strategies and services currently implemented by healthcare organizations that are aimed at preventing burnout. Most of these strategies have not been very effective is that they are siloed.

Opportunity

02/06

To tackle burnout more effectively, engagement on a personal and organizational level, collectively is essential.

Prototyping & Workshops

03/06

Enabling peer-to-peer buddy connections between nurses and their coworkers is a way to create holistic engagement. I conducted a virtual workshop with a diverse group to test the initial ideas around facilitating engagement between nurses and their buddies.
Key Learnings
01

Most nurses are more driven to look after each other rather than self-care, but many struggle to connect with their co-workers due to their diverse backgrounds, cultural and age differences.

02

Most nurses want to build healthy relationships with their co-workers, but coordinating everyone's schedules to find the right time to engage with each other is stressful.

03

Most nurses want to support their co-workers but they don't know how to. Offering support is inhibited by a lack of time or just forgetting to do it.

Strategic Direction

04/06

Design Goals
01
Engagement

Building trust and healthy relationships by facilitating engagement

02
Recognition

Enabling genuine recognition and celebration of nurses' efforts

03
Community

Creating a sense of community and belonging to foster camaraderie

How Might We make engagement easier and create a sense of community for nurses that is rooted in support and recognition?

Intervention

05/06

Coco is a service that weaves a tapestry of shared experiences and mutual support for nurses, bridging the gap between physical and digital interaction and fostering a culture of support, validation, and belonging.

Impact

06/06

By enhancing shift coordination and easing communication, Coco creates a culture of camaraderie, improving the well-being of nurses. Engaged staff plummet attrition rates, fortifying the continuity of care by improving patient outcomes.