Assessment of burnout in nursing technicians in intensive care exclusively during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVES

to assess burnout syndrome in nursing technicians working in an Intensive Care Unit exclusively for COVID-19 patients.

METHODS

a quantitative and qualitative study was carried out at a university hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The quantitative stage included a sample of 51 professionals, using Maslach Burnout Inventory. The qualitative stage involved interviews with 12 professionals, and data were analyzed using the Statistical Package of the Social Sciences and the R Interface for Multidimensional Analysis of Texts and Questionnaires.

RESULTS

most participants, mainly women (74.5%), did not present criteria for burnout. Quantitatively, protection against COVID-19, satisfaction and adequate resources reduced exhaustion and depersonalization. Qualitatively, factors for the development of burnout and protective aspects emerged.

CONCLUSIONS

the association between emotional exhaustion, high work demands and lack of appropriate equipment suggests a greater predisposition to mental health problems. However, workers developed strategies that allowed them to measure their job satisfaction.