Modeling behavior of nurses in clinical medical unit in university hospital: Burnout implications

High demand of healthcare services due to changes in population demography, technological and medical advancements, budget limitations have direct effect on medical staff and medical organizations in particularly hospitals. One of the major issues confronting the healthcare system is staff behavior when they get close to `burnout´ level. This study identifies factors affecting nurses´ behavior and its impact on patients experience time using system dynamics. A particular focus is given to nurses in one of the medical clinical units in one of the largest hospitals in Ireland. Armed with a comprehensive system dynamic model that revolves around the staff stresses, an examination of Skill-Mix, Work Intensity, and Time Per Activity is conducted to examine performance issues due to nurses´ fatigue and burnout. Results demonstrate serious consequences on patients´ experience time and service quality measures as a proportional result of the increased pressures on nurses in this unit.