A BURNOUT SYNDROME WORKPLACE HEALTH CARE: A STUDY WITH THE
PROFESSIONAL TEAM OF NURSING HOSPITAL
LANA, Letice Dalla; MÜLLER, Daniela Virote Kassick; SCHNEIDER, Rodolfo Herberto;
Marlene Kreutz; PORTELA, Odete Teresinha
1. INTRODUCTION
The work is essential to life and happiness of human beings, but can also be a source
of tension and estresse1. Thus, the work has not only a material meaning, as a resource for
the survival of the individual, but a psychological meaning and social, which can expose the
risks específicos2. According to studies, nursing is more exposed to occupational risk factors
that can lead to stress ocupacional2.
Stress is a set of organic reactions and psychic adaptation of the body when exposed
to any stimulus that excites you, annoy, frighten or make feliz2. A subtype of neurosis or
occupational stress that professionals in the area of human services are the most susceptible
is the professional burnout syndrome or Burnout3 that is because is an interpersonal
relationship very intensa4.
2. OBJECTIVE
Identify, through the questionnaire Burnout, the occurrence of burnout among
professionals in health care (nurses, technicians and assistants).
3. METHODOLOGY
This research showed quantitative and exploratório die. The study was conducted at
Santa Casa de Misericordia de Porto Alegre, RS, and the sample was accidental, composed
of 20 nurses (36.36%), 26 nursing technicians (47.27%) and eight nursing assistants (14,
54%). The research instrument used was the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) developed by
Maslach and Jackson5. This questionnaire was translated and validated by Lautert4 and is
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divided into three subscales that assess three fundamental aspects of burnout: Emotional
Exhaustion (EE), Depersonalization (D) and Sense of Professional Incompetence (I).
Data collection began in July to November 2003. 150 questionnaires were distributed
in different sectors of the hospital, of whom 55 returned duly filled out. The analysis of
responses was in SPSS 17.0. The questionnaire responses were scored Burnout with values
of zero (0) to four (4) and subjected to a statistical quantity, with the Wilcoxon test and MannWhitney test.
4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The role of patient care is exercised by the health care team consisting of nurses,
technicians and nursing assistants. Despite the large number of professionals involved with
the nursing sector, about almost 5mil employees, the sample, especially among technicians
and nursing assistants, was small. Considering that only 36.66% were returned the
questionnaires. One can assume that the amount of affected individuals within the institution
or that is larger, the really most affected, were not part of the sample.
As for the Burnout syndrome, found that nearly half of nurses (45%) have moderate
levels of emotional exhaustion subscale, considered by many authors as the main phase and
trigger the syndrome, as outlined in Table 1. These moderate levels would indicate the
existence of patologia as it is the main scale to the diagnosis of síndrome6.
The depersonalization and feelings of incompetence, dominated by low scores for
both professional groups, but García7 admits that, regardless of what the burnout subscale
starts, not necessarily a person goes through all its phases and you can present pathology.
Similar data were observed in this subscale Lautert4 study, which analyzed 72.03% of
nurses had conducted themselves professionally, with low Feeling of Professional
Incompetence. Leopardi8, also in a study of nurses found that most consider the activities
carried out or that they are entrusted with their corresponding qualification. These statements
explain the higher prevalence of a low score on this subscale for nurses.
Table 1 - Subescala the Burnout syndrome
S. de E. E.
Escore
Profissão
N
%
Law
11
55
Nurse
Moderate
9
45
Hight
-
2
S. de D.
N
19
1
-
%
95
5
-
S. de S. I. P.
N
%
13
65
6
30
1
5
Total
20
100
20
100
20
100
Nursing
Law
29
82.8
31
88.5
28
80
Moderate
4
11.4
3
8.6
6
17.1
assistants
High
2
5.7
1
2.9
1
2.9
and
Total
technicians
35
100
35
100
35
100
*S. de E.E= Subescala de Exaustão Emocional; S. de D.= Subescala de
Despersonalização; S. S.I.P.= Subescala de Sentimento de Incompetência Profissional
5. CONCLUSION
The results showed that nurses have higher levels of emotional exhaustion compared
to technicians and nursing assistants. Despite the nurses present a lower involvement with
patients admitted to the hospital, they have an intense emotional burden in their daily work,
they are responsible for the smooth functioning of the health care, where they oversee other
nurses, constantly being charged by the hospital administration and organization, in addition
to physicians, as to patient care.
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10.
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