[Burn-out of nurses].

The burn-out rate among nurses in three health-care centers in the province of Barcelona, Spain was studied in a sample of 250 professional nurses who completed a three-part questionnaire that addressed: occupational situation, personal situation, and 20 items. Generally speaking, abnormal levels (0.9%) were not found, but 14.4% of the sample presented a moderate state of "burn-out". These results surprised us because nurses often complain of burn-out, but our study of the syndrome by questionnaire revealed that 84.6% judged their state as optimal.