Prevalence of burnout in primary care nurses

Introduction. Burnout syndrome refers to a kind of occupational stress that can have psychosomatic, behavioral, emotional, familial and social repercussions; it can also cause absenteeism and loss of efficiency at work. Objectives. The aim of this study was to determinate the prevalence of burnout among primary care nurses in Burgos, as well as the personal and occupational characteristics associated with this syndrome. Material and method. A cross-sectional study was designed. Three self-administered, anonymous questionnaires were sent out by internal mail: a questionnaire on social and demographic variables, the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Goldberg's 28-item General Health Questionnaire. Results. Participation was 84%. A high degree of burnout was found in the dimension of emotional exhaustion in 28.8% of the staff surveyed, in depersonalization in 32.2% and in personal achievement in 92.8%. Twenty-three staff members had high scores on all three scales. Psychological impairment probably requiring psychiatric treatment was identified in 28.8%. The present study detected high levels of burnout, similar to those reported in other surveys in Spain.