Hemodialysis nurse burnout in 31 provinces in mainland China: a cross-sectional survey (Preprint)
BACKGROUND Job burnout is an occupational psychological syndrome with a high prevalence among nurses in China. Hemodialysis (HD) nursing work has the characteristics of high intensity, high technical content, and high risk. However, few studies have investigated the nationwide prevalence of burnout among HD nurses in China. OBJECTIVE The main aims of this study were to investigate the prevalence and level of job burnout among HD nurses in China and explore the potential factors associated with burnout among HD nurses. METHODS This was a cross-sectional study in 2019. Survey data were collected from 2738 HD centers in mainland China. Job burnout was measured by the Chinese version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory. High levels of burnout were defined as emotional exhaustion (EE) scores ≥27, depersonalization (DP) scores ≥10, and personal accomplishment (PA) scores ≤33. The working atmosphere, interpersonal relationships with colleagues, and intention to leave were each assessed by a single question respectively. Multiple linear regression and structural equation modeling (SEM) were used for the analysis. RESULTS A total of 10570 surveys were collected from mainland China. The mean age was 33.36 (SD 7.46) years, the mean duration of working in an HD unit was 6.06 (SD 5.27) years, and 9973 (94.35%) were female. A total of 1199 (11.34%) HD nurses reported a high level of EE, 782 (7.40%) reported a high level of DP, and 2220 (21.00%) reported a low level of PA. Job burnout in the Northeastern region of mainland China was higher than that in other regions (P<.05). The working atmosphere, interpersonal relationships, region, hospital level, education level, career planning, age, and number of children were significantly associated with job burnout among HD nurses (P<.001, adjusted R2=0.313). The working environment, individual factors, and specialist nurse training were significantly associated with HD nurse burnout and intention to leave (comparative fit index=0.907; goodness of fit index=0.930; root mean square error of approximation=0.055). CONCLUSIONS There were notable regional differences in the burnout of HD nurses. This study contributes to the knowledge of the possible relationship of job burnout and intention to leave in HD nurses. It is suggested that improving the working atmosphere or interpersonal relationships and providing more training opportunities can alleviate job burnout in HD nurses. These findings provide a theoretical framework with which to manage HD nurses more effectively.