Síndrome de Burnout en el Personal de Enfermería en una Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos Neonatales de Hospital de Tercer Nivel

Introduction: Burnout syndrome, as described by Maslach and Jackson, is a state of advanced professional stress. The scale proposed by these authors identifies three categories: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment. The present study was conducted among nurses in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of a tertiary care hospital. The purpose was to determine the presence of burnout. Material and method: The scale was applied to staff across different hierarchical levels, job roles, work shifts, and years of seniority. Finally, the obtained averages were weighted to determine low, medium, or high levels of burnout in each of the three aspects and overall. Results: A total of 38 respondents were surveyed. The average age was 33 years; 36 were female (95%) and 2 were male (5%). Seniority ranged from 1 to 28 years. Regarding shifts, 11 were from the morning shift (28%), 8 from the afternoon shift (21%), 11 from the night shift (28%), and 8 from the special shift (21%). In the category of emotional exhaustion, burnout was identified in 9 people (23%); depersonalization in 7 people (18.4%); and lack of personal accomplishment in 12 people (31.5%). Therefore, globally, burnout syndrome was detected in 28 people (73%). Discussion: NICU care demands precision and detailed attention, as patients are in critical health conditions, subjecting the caregiver to constant stress levels. This study confirmed the presence of burnout with high percentages. It is necessary to implement programs to address health personnel suffering from burnout.