An investigation of nursing burnout and the underlying factors in Shahid Mohammadi Hospital of Bandar Abbas in 2014

Background and Purpose of the study: As an essential profession in the health care system, nursing is prone to work-related, physical and mental stress which can in the long run cause burnout. Therefore, the present research aimed to explore the extent of nursing burnout and the factors involved in Shahid Mohammadi Hospital of Bandar Abbas. Materials and method: In the present descriptive research, the population was comprised of 300 nurses affiliated with Shahid Mohammadi Hospital of Bandar Abbas. The sample size was 158 nurses with at least a bachelor's degree and at least one year of work experience (formally employed). The data collection instrument was a demographic information checklist along with Maslach’s burnout inventory. The data entered SPSS for the required statistical analyses. The significance level was set at p≤.05. Results: 50% of the subjects were found to have a low level of emotional exhaustion; 46.20% showed a low level of depersonalization and 71.51% reported a low level of personal accomplishment. The ward the nurses were working in showed to be significantly correlated with emotional exhaustion (p=.010) and personal accomplishment (p=.024). Work experience showed to be significantly correlated with depersonalization (p=.023) and personal accomplishment (p=.01). Moreover, subjects’ weekly workload was significantly correlated with personal accomplishment (p=.038). Discussion and Conclusion: Work burnout is more prevalent in medical professions and can impose high financial and life-related costs of the personnel, patients and hospital. Therefore, the present findings can be useful in recognizing the underlying factors involved in nursing burnout.