A STUDY OF BURNOUT IN NURSES IN TWO TYPES OF HEALTH CARE SETTINGS.
Contributors: University of Pittsburgh.
Published: 1986
Number of pages: 164
Subjects: Education, Educational Psychology.; Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: This study compared burnout and associated factors in two groups of nurses working in hospices and hospital oncology units. A voluntary sample of 57 nurses in the Pittsburgh area completed a questionnaire on level of burnout, demographic data, and six factors that were hypothesized to correlate with burnout.

One finding of the study was a significantly lower (p < .05) level of burnout in the hospice group. A significant relationship between burnout and perception of less support in the workplace was found for both groups. Within the hospice sample dissonance between the ideal and real job situation correlated significantly with burnout. For the hospital group burnout correlated significantly with hours of contact with patients and families, and with staff/patient ratio. No significant relationship with burnout for either group was found for number of patient deaths or frequency of expressing work-related problems to family and friends.

Demographic differences between the two groups also emerged from the data. Hospice nurses tended to be older, married, to have more academic credentials, and to have longer overall experience in nursing.

Findings suggest the value of providing sources of support for nurses within the health care setting. An implication of the study is that burnout interacts with both organizational and individual demographic variables. Future research in this area should be designed to take into account developmental differences between subjects.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-12, Section: A, page: 4322.

Thesis (PH.D.)--UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH, 1986.

School code: 0178.