Association between pediatric patient death and burnout among nurses: A single-center, point-prevalence study

Nurse burnout is an important issue related to nurse turnover. Although numerous risk factors have been identified, the impact of pediatric patient death on nurse burnout remains unclear. This study investigated the influence of the number of pediatric patient deaths encountered on burnout scores among nurses.

Single-center, point-prevalence study conducted in 2023.

Tertiary pediatric hospital with a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) in Japan.

An online questionnaire was developed and distributed to eligible nurses. Burnout was assessed via the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS), and the online questionnaire was used to collect data on the nurses' age, overtime hours, and the number of pediatric patient deaths encountered by nurses in the previous year. In total, 132 nurses were included, with response rates of 91 % in PICU nurses and 79 % in general ward nurses. Based on the MBI-HSS results, PICU nurses had higher emotional exhaustion scores than general ward nurses (median: 29 [interquartile range: 17-40] vs. 16 [interquartile range: 14-24]). Further, the proportion of PICU nurses presenting with high burnout tendencies was greater than that of general ward nurses (54 % vs. 20 %). In the multiple regression analysis, the emotional exhaustion scores were associated with the number of pediatric deaths encountered by nurses (β = 2.4, 95 % confidence interval: 0.99-3.71, p = 0.001).

The number of pediatric patient deaths encountered by nurses within the past year has an impact on emotional exhaustion.