How to Deal With Change Fatigue in Healthcare

Constant policy updates and practice adjustments can leave you wondering how to deal with change fatigue. While innovations are a natural part of working in healthcare, they can also leave staff feeling overwhelmed and apathetic. Whether you’re a nurse manager, executive, or bedside staff, it’s a good idea to learn about change fatigue in healthcare.

What Is Change Fatigue?

This phenomenon is essentially a form of burnout relating to constant changes at work. Feeling stressed and exhausted are potential change fatigue symptoms, affecting nurses’ well-being and coping abilities. Unlike change resistance, which may manifest as disruptive behaviors, change fatigue often goes undetected by leadership. Staff may not voice their dissatisfaction, instead quietly disengaging.

Humans aren’t wired to deal with constant change — our brains, particularly the amygdala, can see it as a threat. Every time a small change is implemented, even if it’s just a new way of charting, staff have to build new habit pathways over old ones. As healthcare changes more rapidly, these constant tweaks can be tiresome.

Much like compassion fatigue, change fatigue wears staff down into a state of apathy.

Change Fatigue: Statistics and Research

What do we know about change fatigue? Research findings shed some light on the situation.

• Clinical nurses exhibit change fatigue at a moderate level, and those working in the healthcare system experience it three times more frequently than those in other industries.
• Nurses are particularly impacted by changes. More than physicians and other staff, they are typically responsible for managing, implementing, and evaluating changes in the workplace.
• Changes can lead to organizational instability, contributing to workplace dissatisfaction, anxiety, and burnout. Employees may feel less invested at work and be more likely to call out or quit.
• Hospital size is a predictor of change fatigue; as numbers of beds increase, so does the likelihood of change fatigue.
• Magnet hospitals, where nurses have more professional autonomy, are associated with higher job satisfaction.

Predictors of Change Fatigue in Nursing Staff

So, how can you know if you’re at risk of experiencing change fatigue? There are several factors that can contribute to change fatigue in nurses.

• Income: Economic factors strongly influence how nurses respond to changes at work. Income directly determines quality of life, and staff may also feel that their pay determines the value of their labor.
• Title: Nurses with higher professional titles tend to experience less change fatigue. This may be because of their experience level, income, or higher adaptability.
• Experience: Nurses with more years of experience tend to have higher levels of change fatigue. This may be because of the long-term accumulation of change or the lack of support from management.
• Nights: Nurses who work more night shifts may be more susceptible to fatigue and burnout resulting from changes at work. This may be because these nurses are physically fatigued or tend to be less supported by management at night.
• Management: The level of care that staff nurses perceive from management could have a protective effect against change fatigue. Yet findings also suggest that micromanagement can undermine autonomy and lead to stress.
• Emotional intelligence: High levels of emotional intelligence correspond with lower levels of change fatigue. Being able to regulate one’s emotions and communicate with others may work as protective mechanisms.

How to Deal With Change Fatigue in the Workplace as a Nurse

Nursing is full of constant changes. New charting systems, policies, and leadership can leave you feeling overwhelmed, like you constantly have to adapt while also caring for patients. See our tips on managing change fatigue:

• Acknowledge your feelings. Know that frustration and exhaustion are natural reactions, not personal failures. This is a key skill in developing emotional intelligence.
• Control what you can. Try to stay organized, practice good time management, and support your coworkers whenever possible.
• Ask questions. If changes feel unclear, try to understand the reasoning behind them. Knowing the purpose can help you remember new changes and potentially help with frustration.
• Voice concerns. Kindly share your concerns with leadership and suggest ways that your manager can better support you through changes.
• Protect your energy. Make self-care a priority outside of work so you have the reserves to manage new challenges.

How to Deal With Change Fatigue as a Nursing Leader

Suppression will not help address change fatigue — and it may lead to even further disengagement. Instead, try a sensitive, empathetic approach when dealing with change fatigue in your unit, hospital, or facility.

• Avoid unnecessary reorganizations or changes. With every major change, staff change fatigue rises. Major alterations should be a last resort.
• Reduce uncertainty. When big changes are unavoidable, it’s up to you to make staff feel supported. Timelines, expected outcomes, and new expectations should be clearly communicated to staff.
• Involve staff in decision-making when possible. Autonomy is a critical value in nursing. Staff who will be affected by a change should ideally have some say in it. If this isn’t possible, thoroughly explain the reasoning behind the decision.
• Recognize that changes impact workload. Acknowledge when changes add stress, and offer staff support in adapting to new policies.
• Celebrate progress. Recognize and reward milestones, even small ones, to remind your team that their effort is paying off.

Change Nursing Roles Easily With IntelyCare

Still wondering how to deal with change fatigue at work? Sometimes the best way is to find a new workplace. Luckily, IntelyCare makes it easy for nursing professionals to find roles that fit their lives. Learn about personalized job notifications that alert you to opportunities near you.