A Study on Burnout of Nurses in the Period of COVID-19

Abstract

Purpose: Because of the particularity of nursing work, clinical nurses have different degrees of burnout, which is related to various factors. The battle against COVID-19 is a huge challenge, and the burnout of nurses may not be as same as it used to be. This study examined the level of nurses’ burnout and analyzed its influencing factors in the period of COVID-19. Methods: The questionnaire was released in the form of questionnaire star, and the level of burnout, anxiety and depression were measured by Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS), respectively. Results: Except that the dimension of personal accomplishment was negatively correlated with anxiety and depression (r=-0.243~-0.408, P<0.05), there were positive correlations between emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, total score of MBI and anxiety, depression (r=0.447~0.738, P<0.01). Multiple stepwise regression analyses showed that burnout was positively correlated with anxiety (β=0.688), and negatively with working years (β=-5.597). Conclusions: The incidence of nurses’ burnout was high in the period of COVID-19, which was closely related to anxiety and depression. When nurses were more anxious and had shorter working years, their burnout was more likely to be stronger. Therefore, both managers and nurses themselves should pay attention to the burnout. Nurses with symptoms of anxiety and shorter working time are the focus of attention and intervention.