Association between burnout and nurses’ quality of life in neonatal intensive care units: During the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND: Neonatal intensive care unit (NICUs) nurses could suffer from job stress and burnout, which could cause increased turnover rates and decreased Quality of Life (QoL) among nurses. PURPOSE: To determine the association between burnout and nurses’ QoL in NICUs. STUDY DESIGN: This correlational study was performed in 2020 on 140 nurses working in NICUs. The Maslach burnout and WHO Quality of Life-BREF was used to collect data. RESULTS: There is a positive association between personal accomplishment and all dimensions of QoL (r = 0.40 to 0.56) and a negative association between emotional exhaustion, depersonalization of burnout and all dimensions of QoL (r = −0.47 to −0.79). CONCLUSION: It is suggested that several interventions must be taken to prevent burnout and increased QoL in NICU nurses. The findings could provide scientific evidence for managers and encourage evidence-based decision-making to reduce burnout and improve the QoL of nurses especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.