The experience of burnout among nurses at a long-term care facility

Abstract

Burnout in nursing is a scarcely studied phenomenon especially in long-term care settings locally. This study assesses the experience of burnout among nurses at Saint Vincent de Paul residential home for the elderly. The three variables analytically selected as indicators of burnout are emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and low level of personal accomplishment. Participants responded to a premeditated questionnaire also known as the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) comprise 22 statements and choosing an answer from the 7-point Likert scale, obtained from Mind Garden Inc. by permission. Moreover, four participants volunteered to be interviewed, and questions asked all emerged from the three variables listed above. There are a total of three research questions, one for each component of burnout and these measure the extent to and the ways in which nurses at SVP experience emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and low level of personal accomplishment. The research method used is a triangulation study, therefore combining quantitative and qualitative data and is considered as being the gold-standard research method as it increases both the credibility and validity of research findings. Findings suggest that there is a moderate to high level of emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation in my population which may increase the tendency of developing burnout but also a moderately-high to high level of personal accomplishment which is a protective indicator of burnout.