Occupational Stress and Burnout Syndrome Among Nursing Professionals: a Proposed Study Addressing Compromised States of Mental Health and Improving Patient Outcomes

Abstract

The following proposed study will examine the effects of therapeutic intervention on mental and physical health states of practicing nurses. Nurses are particularly susceptible to increased occupational stress, which can lead to compromised mental health states that affect not only healthcare workers, but the patients under their care. A longitudinal study is proposed in which nurses are given the opportunity to attend a monthly hospital-sponsored psychotherapy session over the course of a one-year period, with the intention of lowering scores on the 28-item General Health Questionnaire, indicating improved mental and physical health within this high-risk population.