Nurse burnout and humanized care for critically ill patients: nurse and family perceptions

Abstract

Objective: To analyze whether burnout among nurses caring for critically ill patients is related to humanized care as perceived by the nurses themselves and by family members, and to compare both perceptions.

Materials and methods: This cross-sectional, correlational and comparative study included 118 nurses selected by simple random sampling and 118 family members of critically ill inpatients at a hospital in Zacatecas, Mexico, analyzed as pairs. Data were collected with the MBI and the third version of the PCHE. Spearman’s rank correlation with Holm adjustment, the sign test and Fisher’s exact test were used.

Results: Burnout prevalence was 15.3%, and an additional 39.8% were at risk of developing it. In half of the pairs, the family member’s perception matched that of the nurse; when they differed, nurses more often rated themselves higher (p = .037), particularly in openness to communication (p = .007). Nurses’ perception of humanized care was associated with emotional exhaustion (rs = −.451) and depersonalization (rs = −.540); family members’ perception was associated with emotional exhaustion (rs = −.416), depersonalization (rs = −.505) and personal accomplishment (rs = −.268), all with p ≤ .024 after adjustment.

Conclusions: Burnout is associated with lower perceived humanized care among both nurses and family members. Strategies should be promoted to prevent and detect professional burnout early and to strengthen the nurse-patient-family relationship, especially in critical care settings, where human interaction is even more limited.

Keywords: Nursing Staff; Humanization of Assistance; Burnout, Professional; Family.