Burnout Syndrome among Healthcare Workers in a Tertiary Health Centre in Southeast Nigeria

Abstract

Background: The intensive care unit (ICU) represents the pinnacle of patient care, and subjects healthcare professionals to heightened job-related stress, emotional fatigue, and a diminished sense of personal achievement, collectively known as burnout syndrome. This global phenomenon poses risks and potential impacts on the Quality of Life of healthcare providers.

Aim: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of Burnout syndrome (BOS) among healthcare workers in the Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and other selected units in Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Nnewi. 

Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 296 consenting participants after approval from the ethics and research committees at NAUTH, Nnewi. They were selected using a multistage sampling method. Data were collected with a structured self-administered questionnaire adopted from the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.0. The level of significance was set at p < 0.05.

Results: The prevalence of burnout among participants was 53.7%. Further analysis of the domains of burnout shows that 34.4% of respondents have a high degree of emotional exhaustion, 18.6% show a high degree of depersonalization, and 52.7% of respondents show a poor degree of personal accomplishment. Female health workers have a higher burnout prevalence, 57.1% than their male counterparts, 48.8%.

Conclusion: This study reveals a high prevalence of burnout among healthcare personnel in ICUs and other selected units at NAUTH, with significant emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, and low personal accomplishment, indicating that many healthcare workers feel emotionally drained, detached from patients, and lack fulfilment in their roles.