Reframing Burnout: Measuring "Altruistic Execution" to Understand Nurse Burnout

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Management
• Psychology

Background:

• Many nurses are driven by altruism, but barriers can lead to burnout and job dissatisfaction.
• Understanding these barriers is crucial for nurse well-being and retention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the Nursing Altruistic Execution Scale (NAES) for construct validity, internal consistency, and reliability.
• The NAES measures nurses' perceived ability to help patients through their work.

Main Methods:

• Developed the NAES based on literature review and expert feedback.
• Administered the NAES, burnout, and job satisfaction surveys to 843 acute care nurses.
• Used exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and linear regression to analyze data.

Main Results:

• Exploratory factor analysis identified two factors: altruistic engagement and workplace barriers.
• The nine-item NAES demonstrated strong internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha 0.79).
• Higher altruistic execution correlated with lower burnout and higher job satisfaction.

Conclusions:

• The NAES is a valid and reliable tool for measuring nurses' altruistic execution.
• Findings highlight the link between altruistic intentions, burnout, and job satisfaction.
• Interventions to boost altruistic execution may reduce nurse burnout and improve retention.