Abstract
BackgroundEvidence on the prevalence and determinants of burnout among military acute and critical care nursing personnel from developing countries is minimal, precluding the development of effective preventive measures for this high-risk occupational group. In this context, we aimed to examine the association between the dimensions of burnout and selected socio-demographic and occupational factors in military acute/critical care nursing personnel from Lima, Peru.Methods and FindingsWe conducted a cross-sectional study in 93 nurses/nurse assistants from the acute and critical care departments of a large, national reference, military hospital in Lima, Peru, using a socio-demographic/occupational questionnaire and a validated Spanish translation of the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Total scores for each of the burnout dimensions were calculated for each participant. Higher emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation scores, and lower personal achievement scores, implied a higher degree of burnout. We used linear regression to evaluate the association between each of the burnout dimensions and selected socio-demographic and occupational characteristics, after adjusting for potential confounders. The associations of the burnout dimensions were heterogeneous for the different socio-demographic and occupational factors. Higher emotional exhaustion scores were independently associated with having children (p<0.05) and inversely associated with the time working in the current department (p<0.05). Higher depersonalization scores were independently associated with being single compared with being divorced, separated or widowed (p<0.01), working in the emergency room/intensive care unit compared with the recovery room (p<0.01), and inversely associated with age (p<0.05). Finally, higher personal achievement scores were independently associated with having children (p<0.05).ConclusionAmong Peruvian military acute and critical care nursing personnel, potential screening and preventive interventions should focus on younger/less experienced nurses/nurse assistants, who are single, have children, or work in the most acute critical care areas (e.g. the emergency room/intensive care unit).
Highlights
Burnout is a persistent condition resulting from chronic exposure to occupational stress at levels beyond the individual’s coping capacity [1]
We aimed to identify the socio-demographic and occupational characteristics associated with the dimensions of burnout in acute and critical care nursing personnel from a large military hospital in Lima, Peru
Each department has a nursing team composed of a chief nurse, clinical nurses and nurse assistants, who work in 6–12 hour rotating shifts to provide continuous acute and critical care to patients
Summary
Burnout is a persistent condition resulting from chronic exposure to occupational stress at levels beyond the individual’s coping capacity [1] It is highly prevalent in the health professions, among nurses [2], who may be rendered more vulnerable by the demanding nature of their profession [3,4,5] and the prevailing adverse professional scenario [6,7]. Burnout is an increasingly important public health problem, which has a significant impact on the nurses’ health and well-being, and the quality and costs of healthcare It leads to emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and a perception of inefficacy at work [1,8]. Evidence on the prevalence and determinants of burnout among military acute and critical care nursing personnel from developing countries is minimal, precluding the development of effective preventive measures for this highrisk occupational group. We aimed to examine the association between the dimensions of burnout and selected socio-demographic and occupational factors in military acute/critical care nursing personnel from Lima, Peru
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