Burnout Levels in Nurses and Associated Factors during the COVID-19 Pandemic—A Cross-Sectional Study
Karolina Filipska-Blejder,
Anna Antczak-Komoterska,
Magdalena Kostecka,
Beata Haor,
Agnieszka Królikowska,
Renata Jabłońska,
Lech Grzelak,
Mariusz Wysokiński,
Wiesław Fidecki,
Adam Wiśniewski,
Robert Ślusarz
Affiliations
Karolina Filipska-Blejder
Neurological and Neurosurgical Nursing Department, Faculty of Health Science, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, 85-821 Bydgoszcz, Poland
Anna Antczak-Komoterska
Faculty of Health Sciences, State University of Applied Sciences in Wloclawek, 87-800 Wloclawek, Poland
Magdalena Kostecka
Faculty of Health Sciences, State University of Applied Sciences in Wloclawek, 87-800 Wloclawek, Poland
Beata Haor
Faculty of Health Sciences, State University of Applied Sciences in Wloclawek, 87-800 Wloclawek, Poland
Agnieszka Królikowska
Neurological and Neurosurgical Nursing Department, Faculty of Health Science, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, 85-821 Bydgoszcz, Poland
Renata Jabłońska
Neurological and Neurosurgical Nursing Department, Faculty of Health Science, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, 85-821 Bydgoszcz, Poland
Lech Grzelak
Faculty of Health Sciences, State University of Applied Sciences in Wloclawek, 87-800 Wloclawek, Poland
Mariusz Wysokiński
Department of Fundamentals of Nursing, Chair of Nursing Development, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Lublin, 20-093 Lublin, Poland
Wiesław Fidecki
Department of Fundamentals of Nursing, Chair of Nursing Development, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Lublin, 20-093 Lublin, Poland
Adam Wiśniewski
Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, 85-094 Bydgoszcz, Poland
Robert Ślusarz
Neurological and Neurosurgical Nursing Department, Faculty of Health Science, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, 85-821 Bydgoszcz, Poland
Previous studies have shown that sudden changes in the nature of nursing work and their work environment related to the COVID-19 pandemic have affected the professional experience of nurses, and consequently led to an increase in professional burnout in this professional group. Thus, the aim of the study was to measure occupational burnout among nurses working during the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland. A cross-sectional study was conducted with pediatric and surgery female nurses (N = 110, mean age 51 ± 6.92) from the Provincial Specialist Hospital in Włocławek, Poland. The participants completed the Link Burnout Questionnaire (LBQ) and the Socio-Demographic Questionnaire (SDQ). The data were analyzed using Spearman’s rank correlation and Mann–Whitney U test. The study showed that high burnout affected 6.4% of nurses. The level of professional burnout for the subscales of psychophysical exhaustion, relationship deterioration, professional inefficacy and disappointment was 28.2%, 26.4%, 11.8% and 13%, respectively (mean score: 19.85 ± 6.51, 18.03 ± 5.15, 13.74 ± 4.07 and 17.61 ± 5.85, respectively). The results show that surgical nurses were statistically more likely to experience professional burnout. In sum, burnout among nurses has become a serious problem, especially considering the COVID-19 pandemic, which is why it is so important to continue research in this area. Hospital management needs to take urgent action to address the systemic and professional issues that contribute to the suboptimal mental health of nurses.