| Healthcare professionals providing patient care are at risk for burnout. Burnout is a syndrome that encompasses emotional weariness, cynicism, and feelings of inadequacy and incompetence. Healthcare professional burnout results in high turnover rates, health problems, and poor patient care. Treating terminally ill patients can potentially produce even higher burnout rates. Research in this area of study has been mixed, generating both higher and lower rates of burnout for those caring for the terminally ill as compared to those treating the general population of patients. One hundred ninety-five nurses from local hospitals and hospices participated by completing nine surveys. The goal of the study was to assess burnout rates as well as create a model of burnout based on job demands and job resources that could assist in the prevention, identification, and treatment of burnout. Although the proposed model failed to fit the data, the study generated important information about healthcare professionals who care for the terminally ill and identified a variety of factors relevant to the three stages of burnout. Potential reasons were also explored as to why inconsistencies persist in the measurement of burnout rates among those treating the terminally ill. Finally, implications were offered for the prevention and treatment of burnout as well as for future research. |
