Burnout and workorganization in Nursing.

BACKGROUND

Burnout syndrome (BS) consists of a set of symptoms that appear in response to chronic interpersonal stressors at work and involve the perceptions individuals have of themselves and their work environment.

OBJECTIVES

To identify psychosocial risk and work organization factors able to predict mental suffering, and to estimate the prevalence of BS in a sample of nursing professionals from a public hospital in the state of São Paulo, Brazil.

METHODS

Mixed methods research combining quantitative and qualitative approaches conducted at a public university hospital. Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) was used to estimate the prevalence of BS. Thematic content analysis of narratives gathered in focus groups was performed to identify psychosocial risk factors at work (PRFW).

RESULTS

The prevalence of BS at the investigated institution (5.7%) is consistent with the rates reported in the international literature. Analysis of the narratives gathered in focus groups revealed stressors in the organization of work.

CONCLUSION

The present study also points to the need for a broader look into the causes of BS, in which consideration of singular psychosocial risk and work organization factors from the perspective of workers devoted to proving care to human beings has paramount importance.