The environment of professional practice and Burnout in nurses in primary healthcare

Vera Regina Lorenz,Edinêis de Brito Guirardello

doi:10.1590/0104-1169.0011.2497

Vera Regina Lorenz, Edinêis de Brito Guirardello

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/0104-1169.0011.2497

Copy DOI

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: to assess how nurses perceive autonomy, control over the environment, the professional relationship between nurses and physicians and the organizational support and correlate them with burnout, satisfaction at work, quality of work and the intention to quit work in primary healthcare. METHOD: cross-sectional and correlation study, using a sample of 198 nurses. The tools used were the Nursing Work Index Revised, Maslach Burnout Inventory and a form to characterize the nurses. To analyze the data, descriptive statistics were applied and Spearman's correlation coefficient was used. RESULTS: the nurses assessed that the environment is partially favorable for: autonomy, professional relationship and organizational support and that the control over this environment is limited. Significant correlations were evidenced between the Nursing Work Index Revised, Maslach Burnout Inventory and the variables: satisfaction at work, quality of care and the intent to quit the job. CONCLUSION: the nurses' perceptions regarding the environment of practice are correlated with burnout, satisfaction at work, quality of care and the intent to quit the job. This study provides support for the restructuring of work processes in the primary health care environment and for communication among the health service management, human resources and occupational health areas.

Highlights

IntroductionThe nurses work independently and interdependently in teams(1), with actions centered on the organization and management of health work processes for individual care
Basic or primary health care is considered the primary level of contact between individuals, families and communities and the Unified Health System (SUS) and family health is the strategy to reorganize is, considered as an alternative health care model to achieve universalization, equity and integrality(1).On the other hand, as a set of individual and collective health actions(1), primary health care is an important nursing activity area, where the nurses develop and articulate actions to promote, prevent and recover the population’s health(2).In the practice sphere, the nurses work independently and interdependently in teams(1), with actions centered on the organization and management of health work processes for individual care
The sample consisted of 88.4% of female nurses; 46.2 % single, 43.1% married, 9.2% separated and 1.5% widowed

Summary

Introduction

The nurses work independently and interdependently in teams(1), with actions centered on the organization and management of health work processes for individual care. That imposes challenges for the nurses in daily practices, as different work processes demand more cognitive efforts and increase the work loads(4), making the workers’ actual activities more complex. Another important aspect that puts a strain on the nurses in primary health care is their role as team leaders, involving the coordination of community health agents and the nursing team’s work, besides specific and shared care activities, such as: nursing consultations and procedures, educational activities, home visits and surveillance actions(5)

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion