The Burnout of Nurses in Intensive Care Units and the Impact of the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Background: The world’s population changed with the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Burnout arises due to overwork, prolonged work periods, a lack of human and material resources, etc. Several studies have reported the incidence of burnout syndrome in nurses that work in intensive care units (ICUs). The aim was to map the scientific evidence related to nurses’ burnout in the ICU, namely the repercussions of SARS-CoV-2 in terms of burnout among nurses. Methods: A scoping review followed the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology guidelines to search for and synthesise studies published between 2019 and 2022. The databases searched were MEDLINE, CINAHL, LILACS, SCOPUS, PsycINFO and OPEN GREY. A total of fourteen articles were eligible to be included. Results: A content analysis of the selected articles was carried out, and three categories emerged that corresponded to the dimensions of burnout according to Maslach and Leiter: emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation dimension and a lack of personal accomplishment. It was evident that nurses who worked in the ICU during the pandemic showed high levels of burnout. Conclusions: It is recommended that hospital administrations hire health professionals, namely nurses, as a strategic and operational management strategy to reduce the risk of increased burnout during pandemic outbreaks.

Assessment of Exoskeletons on Nurses’ Quality of Work Life: A Pilot Study at Foch Hospital

“…The links between work life quality and care quality led National Health Authorities (such as the French Health Authority, HAS) to include work life quality (WLQ) as one of the dimensions to be considered in the certification of hospitals and to systematically integrate it into the quality assessment, as observed in other countries [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]. Based on the strong and close link between the well-being of patients and the well-being of caregivers, hospitals have implemented actions to improve the work life quality of their employees, which consequently contributes to improving the quality of patient care [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ].…”

Increased Job Burnout and Reduced Job Satisfaction for Nurses Compared to Other Healthcare Workers after the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Also, nurses experienced extremely difficult working conditions, such as longer working time in quarantine areas, working in a high-risk environment, in hospitals with inadequate and insufficient material and human resources, increased workloads, and lower levels of specialized training regarding COVID-19 [ 28 ]. These factors greatly increased both nurses’ levels of burnout and job dissatisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic, with satisfaction having a significant negative correlation with burnout [ 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 ].…”

Estresse ocupacional: vivência de enfermeiros intensivistas que atuaram na pandemia de COVID-19

“…Além disso, havia a prática rotineira da utilização de EPIs de forma contínua aliada à sobrecarga física de cuidados a pacientes com risco de vida e aumento da taxa de mortalidade gerada pela pandemia da COVID-19. (59) Durante a pandemia, segundo relataram os entrevistados do presente estudo, a constatação de óbito dos pacientes tornou-se uma experiência corriqueira na UTI, gerando profunda tristeza ao saber da morte de pessoas sob seus cuidados.…”