Factors influencing the degree of burnout experienced by nurses working in neonatal intensive care units

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Burnout is one of the challenges that nurses are faced with in their stressful and rapidlychanging work environment. The vulnerability of nurses to burnout remains a major concernwhich affects both the individual and institution.Knowledge about burnout and associated risk factors which influence the development ofburnout is vital for early recognition and intervention.The research question which guided this study was: 'What are the factors influencing thedegree of burnout experienced by nurses working in neonatal intensive care units?The objectives included determining which physical, psychological, social and occupationalfactors influenced the degree of burnout experienced by nurses.A descriptive, explorative research design with a quantitative approach was applied. Thetarget population consisted of (n=105) permanent nursing staff members working in theneonatal units of two different hospitals. A convenience sampling method was used.Participants (n=102) who gave voluntary consent to participate was included in the study.Validity and reliability was supported through the use of a validated questionnaire, MaslachBurnout Inventory – General Survey including a section based on demographical informationand a section based on physical, psychosocial, social and occupational factors. Validity ofthe questionnaire was supported by the use of a research methodologist, nurse expert and astatistician in the particular field. A pilot study was done to test the feasibility of the studyand to test the questionnaire for any errors and ambiguities.Ethics approval was obtained from Stellenbosch University and permission from the Headsof the hospitals where the study was conducted. The data was analyzed with the assistanceof a statistician and these are presented in histograms, tables and frequencies. Therelationship between response variables and nominal input variables was analysed usinganalysis of variance (ANOVA). Various statistical tests were applied to determine statisticalassociations between variables such as the Spearman test, using a 95% confidence interval.Results have shown that participants experienced an average level of emotional exhaustion,a high level of professional efficacy and a low level of cynicism.Further analyses have shown that there is a statistical significant difference betweenemotional exhaustion and the rank of the participant (p=<0.01), highest qualification (p=0.05)and a high workload (p=0.01). Furthermore a statistical significant difference was foundbetween professional efficacy and rank of participants (p=<0.01). In addition a statisticalsignificant difference was found between cynicism and the number of years participantswere in the profession (p=0.05).Multiple factors were determined in this study that influences the degree of burnout nursesexperience. The majority of participants (n=56/55%) experienced decreased job satisfactionand accomplishment, (n=52/51%) of participants experienced that their workload is too muchfor them and (n=63/62%) participants received no recognition for their work.Recommendations are based on preventative measures, because preventing burnout iseasier and more cost-effective than resolving burnout once it has occurred.In conclusion, the prevention strategies, early recognition of work stress and appropriateinterventions are crucial in addressing the problem of burnout.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University