Beating Burnout: Nurses Nursing Nurses
Beating Burnout: Nurses Nursing Nurses
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Issue Date
1983
Authors
Kalmus, Josephine Diana
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Abstract
The purpose of this study is to assess, examine and compare the effectiveness of coping and preventing burnout behaviors among critical care nurses. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) was administered to assess burnout in three major aspects: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment in two dimensions: frequency and intensity. High scores on emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and a low score on personal accomplishment indicated high burnout. A personal interview constructed from the MBI and a Demographic Data Sheet were also administered. The resulting MBI subscale scores, added and ranked, determined high, moderate and low burnout group nurses. Self-reported coping and preventive behaviors were transcribed and organized into twenty-one categories. High and low burnout groups were compared in these twenty-one categories. In three categories: perspective, human empathy and quit/detachment, notable differences were determined. Low burnout nurses reported notebly more behaviors in human empathy and less behaviors in perspective and quit/detachmnent. High burnout nurses reported notebly more behaviors in perspective and quit/detachment and less behaviors in the human empathy category. Results of the Demographic Data Sheet indicated critical care nurses in the low burnout group were comprized of 1007 hospice nurses. By comparison, hospital nurses comsisted of only 3370 of the nurses sampled. The high burnout group nurses was made up of 757 hospital intensive care unit nurses. These notable differences between the self-reported coping and preventive behaviors of burnout of critical care nurses was explained in terms of the high burnout nurses working in intensive care units, experiencing double-binding between their heart-felt principles for nursing the dying and critically ill and the goals of the larger institution they work for. Low burnout nurses worked in hospice settings, experienced more time and flexibility to meet patient needs, and worked where their individual values and goals were consistent with the values and goals of the larger institution.
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