A Cross-sectional Multicentre Qualitative Study Exploring Attitudes and Burnout Knowledge in Intensive Care Nurses with Burnout

AIM: Although nurses in intensive care units (ICUs) are exposed to prolonged stress, no burnout prevention policy has yet been established. This study aims to determine the attitudes and “sense” of knowledge of burnout in nurses with burnout. METHODS: The study, which has a qualitative exploratory phenomenological design, was carried out in several Croatian ICUs in 2017. ICU nurses suffering from burnout according to their score on the Maslach Burnout Inventory were chosen randomly from five hospitals. Their participation was voluntary. Of the 28 participants, 86% were women (n=24) and 14% men (n=4). They were aged mainly between 36 and 45 (n=11 (40%)) and between 26 and 35 (n=10 (36%)). Semi-structured interviews were conducted up to the saturation point. The conversations were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. The text was analysed using inductive thematic analysis, with codes derived and grouped into clusters by similarities in meaning, and interpretation as the final stage. RESULTS: Emergent themes, compromised private life, stressful work demands, stress reduction options, protective workplace measures and sense of knowledge reflected a variety of experiences, attitudes and knowledge of burnout. DISCUSSION: Nurses with burnout provided an insight into their experience and attitudes, and the problems created by burnout. Given the poor sense of knowledge about this syndrome, there is a need to implement education on burnout in nursing school curricula, and clear strategies in the ICU environment, i.e. information, awareness-raising, and specific guidelines on coping, burnout detection and prevention. Approaching burnout prevention through attitudes/social learning may be a novel and feasible model of addressing this issue.