Digital burnout in nursing: development of a valid and reliable scale to assess digital burnout associated with the...

This study aimed to develop a valid and reliable scale to assess digital burnout associated with the digitalization process in nursing and to examine its relationship with organizational stress.

This methodological and cross-sectional study was conducted with 302 nurses in a public hospital in Hatay, Turkey. The dataset was randomly divided into two independent subsamples to ensure robust construct validation. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was performed on one subsample (n = 151), followed by Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) on the other (n = 151). Internal consistency and reliability were assessed using Cronbach's alpha, composite reliability (CR), and average variance extracted (AVE). Pearson correlation and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) were performed to examine relationships among variables.

The analyses revealed a two-factor structure consisting of 16 items, namely Emotional Exhaustion and Erosion of Human Interaction. The scale demonstrated high internal consistency, with Cronbach's alpha values ranging from 0.93 to 0.96. CR and AVE supported both convergent and discriminant validity. Correlation analysis indicated a positive relationship between digital burnout and organizational stress (r = 0.28, p < 0.01). SEM results showed that erosion of human interaction significantly predicted both emotional exhaustion (β = 0.776, p < 0.001) and organizational stress (β = 0.287, p < 0.001), whereas emotional exhaustion did not significantly predict organizational stress and was excluded from the final model.

The Digital Burnout Scale in Nursing was found to be a valid and reliable instrument for assessing burnout experiences related to the digitalization process in nursing practice. The findings suggest that digital burnout is a multidimensional construct primarily driven by interaction-related disruptions in digital work environments.

The scale provides a context-specific tool for assessing digital burnout in nursing and contributes to the distinction between technostress and burnout. It can be used by healthcare administrators, researchers, and nurses to identify and monitor risks related to digital workload and support early recognition of burnout. At the organizational level, the scale can inform targeted interventions, such as improving system usability, reducing documentation burden, and strengthening organizational support, thereby contributing to nurse well-being and quality of care.

Not applicable.