Burnout and coping strategies among operating theatre nurses

ABSTRACT

There is an increasing attention toward investigating job stress and its consequences among nurses working in operating theatres. One of its most common potential negative consequences is burnout. This study aimed to determine the relationship between burnout and coping strategies among operating theatre nurses. It was conducted at Alexandria Governorate Hospitals of the different health care agencies. The subjects comprised 50% of nurses [n=251] who had the responsibilities of carrying out the manual activities in the operating theatres for patients undergoing surgery. Data were collected through two main scales namely Maslach Burnout Inventory and Ways of Coping Questionnaire. The study revealed that the majority of operating theatre nurses had high level of burnout. In addition, the majority of the nurses who were graduated from secondary technical nursing school with five to less than ten years of experienced burnout in different levels. Also, no significant correlations were found between level of burnout and coping strategies used by operating theatre nurses, and between coping strategies used and their demographic characteristics