[Burnout's syndrome in critical care nursing professionals]

The concept of the "Burnout Syndrome" has come as a result of the chronic work-stress developed in workers involved in human services during their professional activity. The working conditions and the specific characteristics of the job developed at the Intensive Care Units by the nursing staff, involve a high risk for this group to acquire this syndrome. The main objective of this study is to assess the prevalence of the Burnout Syndrome in the nursing staff of the ICUs in different hospitals of the Alicante province, Spain, by means of the Malsach Burnout Inventory questionnaire. This questionnaire is self-administered and was handed to all the nursing staff at the ICUs in the University Hospitals of Alicante and Elche and in the Hospital Marina Baixa of Villajoyosa. form the total of 107 questionnaires, 83 proved to be valid. The average total of MBI was of 55.05, indicating low values of emotional tiredness, low depersonalisation, and an adequate level of personal accomplishment.