Nursing practice environment in intensive care unit and professional burnout

Area of Science:

• Nursing Practice Environments
• Healthcare Management
• Occupational Health

Background:

• Nursing practice environments significantly impact nurse well-being and patient care.
• Burnout is a prevalent issue among healthcare professionals, particularly in high-stress settings like Intensive Care Units (ICUs).
• Comparing public and private healthcare institutions is crucial for identifying systemic differences in working conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare nursing practice environments in public and private hospital ICUs.
• To assess the prevalence of burnout among nursing professionals in these settings.
• To identify factors within the practice environment that may influence burnout.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional, descriptive quantitative study was conducted.
• Data were collected via questionnaires assessing socio-occupational variables, the Nursing Work Index Revised (NWI-R) for practice environment, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (IBM) for burnout.
• The study included 296 nursing professionals with at least six months of employment.

Main Results:

• Both hospitals exhibited favorable practice environments overall.
• The private hospital demonstrated lower scores in autonomy, control, and organizational support subscales compared to the public hospital.
• Burnout prevalence was 2.5% for nurses in the public hospital vs. 9.1% in the private; for nursing technicians, it was 9.5% in the public vs. 8.5% in the private.

Conclusions:

• Environmental control, autonomy, and organizational support are critical factors influencing nursing practice.
• These institutional factors are essential for improving working conditions and potentially mitigating burnout in nursing teams.
• Targeted interventions addressing environmental aspects can enhance the nursing work experience.