Burnout and psychological distress among nurses in a Nigerian tertiary health institution

Fe Okwaraji, Aguwa En

Abstract

Background: The role of nurses in the health care delivery system cannot be overemphasized. Nurses are needed at all levels of healthcare and the profession requires a lot of dedication, time and energy with regards to patient management and service delivery. This time investment and dedication to duty is likely to lead to burnout and psychological distress among the nurses. Objective: This study assesses the prevalence of burnout and psychological distress among nurses working in Nigerian tertiary health institution. Method: The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) were used to assess 210 nurses working in this health institution for symptoms of burnout and psychological distress. Results: High levels of burnout were identified in 42.9% of the respondents in the area of emotional exhaustion, 47.6% in the area of depersonalization and 53.8% in the area of reduced personal accomplishment, while 44.1% scored positive in the GHQ-12 indicating presence of psychological distress. Conclusion: Prevalence of burnout and psychological distress is high among nurses.

Keywords: Burnout, psychological distress, stress management

African Health sciences Vol 14 No. 1 March 2014