Burnout syndrome in nurses working in palliative care units: An analysis of associated factors

To analyse the association between psychological, labour and demographic factors and burnout in palliative care nursing.

There is a lack of published research evaluating burnout in palliative care nursing.

This observational cross-sectional study involved 185 palliative care nurses in Mexico. The primary variables were burnout defined by its three dimensions (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and personal accomplishment). As secondary variables, psychological, labour and demographic factors were considered. A binary logistic regression model was constructed to determine factors associated with burnout.

A total of 69 nurses experienced high emotional exhaustion (37.3%), 65 had high depersonalization (35.1%) and 70 had low personal performance (37.8%). A higher proportion of burnout was found in the participants who were single parents, working >8 hr per day, with a medium/high workload, a lack of a high professional quality of life and a self-care deficit.

Our multivariate models were very accurate in explaining burnout in palliative care nurses. These models must be externally validated to predict burnout and prevent future complications of the syndrome accurately.

Nurses who present the factors found should be the focus of interventions to reduce work stress.