On Sept. 2, Vanderbilt Nursing introduced the WellNurse program, a comprehensive framework designed to foster healthy work environments and address nurse burnout and emotional exhaustion throughout the organization.
The framework defines nurse well-being through five foundational pillars: professional practice, self-care, environment, safety and belonging. Each pillar is reinforced with programs to promote health in each pillar.
Nurses working in healthy environments and being supported individually and systemically have a positive critical impact on their teams and overall patient care. This is evidenced through greater engagement, increased retention, and decreased patient mortality, readmissions and delays in care. Satisfaction and safety rise across the board.
A foundational element of the WellNurse program is the environmental dashboard. As a first-of-its-kind application, it empowers nursing care teams to share insights about their personal well-being and practice environment.
Cross-functional teams led by Sarrah Spohnholtz, MSN, RN, director of Nurse Safety and Well-being, and Jake Hunter, senior enterprise data & analytics consultant, collaborated to develop an evidence-based platform that collects data to predict burnout risk based on environmental conditions.
Natalie Anderson, MBA, BSN,director of Perioperative Services, Vanderbilt Bedford Hospital, was a member of the team developing the WellNurse program.
“Being able to apply my personal insight as part of the development process and decision-making, especially around wellness and health, gives such a sense of ownership. It makes you truly evaluate how the process will impact and empower our nurses to prioritize themselves,” Anderson said.
Historically, burnout can be an ambiguous term or only assessed via individual scales. However, evidence shows that predictors of burnout can be found in health care work environments by analyzing metrics such as years of experience, hours of overtime, absenteeism rates, patient satisfaction and more.
The dashboard enables leaders to gain a better understanding of Vanderbilt Health’s system-specific challenges and provides them with measurable, actionable and supported steps to take.
“This dashboard presents real-time data that can be used for change and to implement support,” said Spohnholtz. “We’re looking at this data in a different way than it has ever been reviewed before. When we assess these metrics, we’re now able to gauge the risk of burnout for nursing care teams based on environmental factors.”
Each care environment receives a personalized wellness score based on weighted factors. These factors are grouped into three categories: protectors, stressors or mixed contributors that can predict potential burnout and emotional exhaustion. The user-friendly display gives a scorecard stoplight report for each department.
To respond to environmental results, leaders have access to strategies and resources that include tailored tool kits, one-on-one consultations and other evidence-based services to improve wellness and work environments.
“The WellNurse program reflects our belief that when we invest in the well-being of those who care for others, we reap the benefit in a multitude of ways. We have both the privilege and the responsibility to create spaces where nurses can thrive, and the WellNurse program and environmental dashboard are pivotal tools to help us do that. Congratulations to Sarrah and the team for launching this impactful work,” said Erin Tickle, DNP, MMHC, RN, associate nurse executive, Nursing Strategy and System Integration.
By consolidating the data, the dashboard will also provide a clearer picture of workplace conditions, equipping nurse leaders with data-driven insights to advocate for targeted resources.
As the program grows, future initiatives will expand data collection to include additional metrics such as workplace violence and injuries.
“The program is shifting the concept of well-being and resilience from being an individual responsibility to being a systemic one. Whether a nurse prefers one-on-one support or self-guided resources, we’re providing autonomy to access resources in the way they need it and help prevent burnout,” said Spohnholtz.
To view the dashboard visit: https://tableau.app.vumc.org/#/site/StrategicOperationsAnalytics/workbooks/17124/views
To request a team consult visit: https://redcap.link/WellNurseConsult
Direct questions regarding the WellNurse program and environmental dashboard to sarrah.spohnholtz@vumc.org.
