Determinants of the risk of burnout among nurses during the first wave of the COVID‐19 pandemic in Belgium: A cross‐sectional study

Abstract

Aims To estimate the prevalence of burnout risk among nurses during the peak of the first wave of the COVID‐19 pandemic in Belgium and to identify risk groups and protective and risk factors. Background Nurses are at high risk of burnout, and this can have negative consequences for them, patients and health care systems. The pandemic may have changed their working conditions and increased their risk of burnout. Methods The risk of burnout was assessed through the Maslach Burnout Inventory Scale. Information on socio‐demographic and working conditions during the pandemic was also collected. We obtained 4552 respondents through convenience sampling. Results A high risk of burnout was found in 70% of respondents. The main risk factors of burnout were the lack of personal protective equipment, changes in perceived workload and working with COVID‐19 patients. Conclusions An uneven workload for nurses is an underlying problem during the COVID‐19 pandemic and a significant risk factor for their burnout. The decreased workload is a risk factor for burnout as important as increased workload and repeated exposure to COVID‐19. Implications for Nursing Management Burnout prevention and treatment interventions must target the correct risk factors and identify nurses at risk to be cost‐effective.

Burnout, Professional Self-Efficacy, and Life Satisfaction as Predictors of Job Performance in Health Care Workers: The Mediating Role of Work Engagement

“…During the COVID-19 pandemic, burnout was found to be higher in physicians and nurses than in other health care workers. 51 - 54 The findings of the present study showed that burnout is negatively related to work engagement. Findings from a survey of 212 health care workers in a Norwegian hospital found that emotional exhaustion had direct effects on job attitudes (job satisfaction and organizational engagement).…”

The moderating effect of burnout on professionalism, values and competence of nurses in Saudi Arabia amidst the COVID‐19 pandemic: A structural equation modelling approach

“…Additionally, our study was conducted during the COVID‐19 pandemic, a period during which frontline nurses are facing significant difficulties in carrying out their nursing roles and responsibility. Published studies on burnout during the COVID‐19 pandemic reported burnout's influence on nurses' intention to leave (de Cordova et al, 2022 ), burnout during the first wave of the pandemic (Galanis et al, 2021 ; Khan et al, 2022 ), burnout on quality patient care (Kakemam et al, 2021 ), burnout and the affective aspect of nurses (Falatah & Alhalal, 2022 ), burnout's burden to nurses' roles (Kishi et al, 2022 ) and burnout's relationship to self‐efficacy (Lim et al, 2022 ). None of these published studies focused on the moderating effect of burnout on nurses' professionalism, values and competence.…”

Association of burnout and intention-to-leave the profession with work environment: A nationwide cross-sectional study among Belgian intensive care nurses after two years of pandemic

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