The effect of arduous (microclimate, lighting) and harmful (noise) factors on the levels of occupational burnout in surgical nurses

Introduction and Objective.Harmful factors may lead to a deterioration of health classified as occupational disease, while arduous factors may result in poor well-being or fatigue, but do not lead to permanent health damage.Occupational burnout syndrome poses a serious threat to the health of employees.The aim of the study is to evaluate the effect of arduous (microclimate, lighting) and harmful (noise) factors on the level of occupational burnout in a group of surgical nurses. Materials and Method.Studies of burdensome and harmful health factors in operating theatres, including measurements of electric lighting intensity, moderate microclimate, and noise, were conducted by an accredited laboratory in selected operating theatres in hospitals in the Świętokrzyskie Province in southeast Poland.The study group consisted of 110 professionally active surgical nurses.The Link Burnout Questionnaire (LBQ) was used for the survey.Results.Work environment measurements conducted in selected operating theatres by an accredited laboratory confirmed that factors such as microclimate, lighting, and noise meet the requirements for operating theatres.The average percentage of participants dissatisfied with the thermal conditions in the studied operating theatres was 8.33%.The highest light intensity in the central zone was found on the operating table, reaching 16,485.5 lux.The average daily noise exposure level was 56.2 dB. Conclusions.A study of the impact of harmful and burdensome factors revealed their impact on psychophysical exhaustion and disillusionment among nursing staff.Increased temperature and uneven lighting contributed to increased psychophysical exhaustion and disillusionment in the study group.