Nurse burnout: what can we learn?

A review of the literature has uncovered some initial research on the possible causes and manifestations of burnout among nurses and other helping professionals. Essential causal factors have not yet been identified. However, burnout appears to result from the interaction of personal and structural components, and the significance of each component varies greatly. There is a need for more systematic information about the natural history of burnout in specific work situations. Nurse administrators are urged to be alert for sings of burnout among their nursing personnel, to encourage systematic research that will provide objective evidence of the problem, and, especially, to be creative and daring in their efforts to combat the problem.