Prevalence of burnout syndrome among nursing professionals in an emergency room and in an intensive care unit

ABSTRACT Objective: To identify the presence of burnout syndrome among nursing professionals in the emergency room and intensive care unit for adults of the University Hospital of Maringá. Methods: This is an exploratory and descriptive research study with a quantitative approach. It was developed by applying a questionnaire containing 22 questions from the Maslach Burnout Inventory instrument, which identifies the symptomatology dimensions of the burnout syndrome. Data analysis of the Maslach Burnout Inventory instrument was performed by adding up each dimension (Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalization and Professional Fulfillment) of each questionnaire separately, according to the nursing professional's answers to each question. The values obtained were compared to the reference values of the Nucleus for Advanced Studies on Burnout Syndrome. Results: It was found that 31.36% of the nursing professionals at the University Hospital of Maringá emergency room had high Emotional Exhaustion, 30.92% had low Professional Fulfillment, and 39.25% had high Depersonalization. Regarding the nursing professionals in the Intensive Care Unit for Adults, 36.36% had high Emotional Exhaustion, 36.36% had low Professional Fulfillment, and 22.73% had high Depersonalization. Conclusion: The findings suggest that the Intensive Care Unit for Adults in the morning shift is the highest stressor and with a greater probability of the professionals developing burnout syndrome.