Psycho-educational interventions for prevention of burnout among nurses in public hospitals in Tharaka Nithi county, kenya

Abstract

Nurses play a critical role in the healthcare system, providing essential medical care alongside emotional and psychological support to patients. The demands of the nursing profession can lead to significant stress and burnout. This study investigated the psycho-educational interventions in preventing burnout among nurses in public hospitals in Tharaka-Nithi County, Kenya. The study was guided by the following objectives: stress management techniques, communication skills and peer support programs as a psycho-education intervention for prevention of burnout among nurses. The target population was 206 participants, which included 160 nurses from three public hospitals namely; Chuka county referral hospital, Marimanti and Magutuni sub county hospitals, three nursing managers from the three hospitals, one Counseling psychologist from Chuka county referral and one more from Magutuni sub county hospital. The sample size was 165 participants. The probability and non-probability techniques were used. Proportional sampling was used to identify nurses while purposive sampling methods was used to identify nurse managers in charge and counselor’s psychologist as key participants. The study adopted descriptive survey design and used both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection where data was collected using questionnaires and interviews. The data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 28.0 using descriptive statistics method and presented through frequencies and percentages. Pilot studies were conducted in Embu County referral hospital a neighboring County of Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya. This helped in assessing the reliability and validity of instruments of data collection. Reliability of the instruments were tested using Cronbach’s alpha where the instruments were found reliable for the study. To ensure the validity of the study, a multi-faceted approach was adopted. Construct validity was maintained through the careful alignment of the proposed interventions with established psychological theories related to burnout prevention. The research sought to provide empirical evidence on the psycho-educational interventions, contributing valuable insights to the community. The findings revealed key aspects of stress management techniques, communication skills and peer support program as intervention for prevention of burnout among nurses. Effective workload management, regular breaks, proactive stress management, and a supportive external system were identified as essential for reducing stress and enhancing job satisfaction. The study concluded that implementing structured stress management programs, promoting work-life balance, enhancing communication skills through ongoing training, and formalizing peer support systems would improve nurses' well-being which would enhance the quality of patient care. The nurses, patients, healthcare institutions, and healthcare system in Tharaka Nithi County and policy makers are the potential beneficiaries Future research should explore the long-term effectiveness of these interventions and assess various peer support models to identify the most effective approaches for reducing burnout and improving job satisfaction.