A Study on the Burnout of Ward Nurses during the Covid-19 Pandemic in the Western Province, Sri Lanka

Abstract

Background: Burnout is the physical, behavioural, and emotional condition stemming from constant overwork and continual loss of career satisfaction. Higher nurse workload is associated with burnout and job dissatisfaction, which can result in poor patient outcomes. Nurses may be more vulnerable to burnout during the Covid-19 pandemic. Objectives: To examine the burnout of ward nurses related to Covid-19. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted on a study sample of 152 participants, selected through convenient sampling. Maslach Burnout Inventory tool, validated in Sri Lanka was used to collect data as an online form via social media platforms, among nurses working in hospitals in the western province after receiving the ethical clearance from BioInquirer Ethics Review Committee. The data were analyzed with SPSS version 25.0. Results: Mean age of participants was 29±5 years. The number of days those nurses worked on the weekend during the pandemic shows a 2% increase. In addition to that, 42% of the participants were more worried about their family and friends getting infected by the virus than themselves. Nearly half of the respondents (50.7%) were unhappy with the shift hours after the Covid outbreak compared to before. Despite the difficulties/pandemic, 84.1% of participants were not intending to leave the profession. Mean±SD of subscale scores for each subscale were 14±0.93 (Emotional Exhaustion; EE)), 4.40±1.30 (Depersonalization (D)); and 18.20±0.72 (Personal Accomplishment (PA)). This indicates that there is no significant level of burnout among the nurses during the Covid-19 outbreak (cut-off values indicating moderate/high burnout for EE >18, D>6, PA<33). Conclusions: The findings suggest that the nurses' burnout levels were low in terms of EE and D but high related to PA. Flexible work schedules for nurses may help them be more productive and reduce the risk of burnout.