Burnout in the allergy nursing workforce in the United States

Burnout among nurses remains a pervasive workforce issue in the United States, with limited data on allergy nursing. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of burnout among U.S. allergy nurses and identify factors associated with burnout.

A descriptive correlational study was conducted using the Mini Z survey and a demographic questionnaire. Responses were dichotomized into "with burnout" and "without burnout" based on validated thresholds. Descriptive statistics, Spearman's Rho correlations, and binary logistic regression were used to examine associations between burnout and workplace factors.

Of 241 responses, 201 met inclusion criteria. Burnout prevalence was 34% (n = 69). Burnout was positively correlated with job stress and work area chaos, and negatively correlated with job satisfaction, workload control, documentation time satisfaction, and professional values alignment. In the final logistic regression model, higher work area chaos (OR = 2.66; 95% CI, 1.19-5.95; P < 0.05) and higher job stress (OR = 4.60; 95% CI, 2.14-9.87; P < 0.05) were associated with increased odds of burnout, while alignment of professional values was protective (OR=0.38; 95% CI, 0.18-0.83; P < 0.05).

Burnout in allergy nursing was common and associated with factors such as work environment and nurse-leadership value-alignment. Interventions that reduce practice chaos, increase workload control, streamline documentation, and strengthen alignment between nurses' professional values and leadership may mitigate burnout. These findings can inform targeted organizational strategies, aid in the selection of existing tools, and guide the development of evidence-based interventions to reduce burnout in allergy nursing practice.