Job strain, burnout, wellbeing and patient safety

It is well established that high levels of work-related stress are impacting negatively on health, wellbeing and work-related outcomes in healthcare professionals. There is also growing evidence to show that job strain, burnout and low wellbeing are associated with poor patient safety and medical errors. In the UK, errors are estimated to cost the National Health Service over a billion pounds in litigation costs, and £2 billion in additional bed days annually. Therefore, there is an urgent need to understand the links between job strain, burnout, wellbeing and patient safety in order to develop effective interventions. This chapter begins by describing research investigating the effects of the psychosocial work environment (e.g., job demands, control and social support) on work related outcomes. Next it summarises recent studies that have explored whether there is an association between healthcare professionals’ wellbeing and burnout, with patient safety. The final section of the chapter considers research that has tested interventions in the health professional context. Healthcare organisations need to consider improving employees’ mental health as well as creating safer work environments for patients when planning interventions to improve patient safety.