Prevalence of Work-Related Burnout and Associated Factors among Critical-Care Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study

Abstract

Background: Critical-care nurses operate under sustained physiological and psychological demands, including high patient acuity, complex clinical decision-making, rotating shifts, frequent exposure to traumatic events, and persistent staffing constraints. Although burnout is widely acknowledged in healthcare settings, empirical evidence utilizing person-centered, three-dimensional Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) latent profiles among critical-care nurses in developing healthcare systems remains limited.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of the MBI Burnout profile and identify independent demographic and work-related determinants among critical-care nurses in a public-sector tertiary teaching hospital.

Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 120 registered critical-care nurses recruited via proportionate stratified random sampling across five high-acuity units: Medical Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Surgical ICU, Coronary Care Unit (CCU), High-Dependency Unit (HDU), and Emergency/Trauma ICU. Data were gathered using a structured demographic and occupational questionnaire alongside the licensed Maslach Burnout Inventory–Human Services Survey for Medical Personnel [MBI-HSS (MP)]. The three dimensions—Emotional Exhaustion (EE), Depersonalization (DP), and Personal Accomplishment (PA)—were scored independently to classify nurses into validated MBI profiles. Data were evaluated using descriptive statistics, 95% Wilson score confidence intervals, Pearson’s chi-square tests, and multivariable binary logistic regression.

Results: Overall, 81 of the 120 critical-care nurses met the criteria for the MBI Burnout profile, yielding an overall prevalence of 67.5% (95% CI: 58.7%–75.2%). Mean scores for the subscales were 31.89 ± 7.65 for emotional exhaustion, 14.88 ± 3.70 for depersonalization, and 33.51 ± 4.66 for personal accomplishment. In the multivariable logistic regression model, working night or rotating shifts (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 3.87, 95% CI: 1.39–10.76, p = 0.009), managing a nurse-to-patient ratio of 1:3 or greater (aOR = 4.22, 95% CI: 1.67–10.71, p = 0.002), and self-reported job dissatisfaction (aOR = 3.99, 95% CI: 1.40–11.36, p = 0.010) emerged as significant independent predictors of the Burnout profile.

Conclusion: Work-related burnout is highly prevalent among critical-care nurses and is predominantly driven by modifiable organizational and scheduling stressors rather than individual demographic characteristics. Institutional workforce strategies must prioritize safe nurse-to-patient staffing thresholds, ergonomic roster scheduling, protected recovery periods, and structured administrative support mechanisms to safeguard clinician wellbeing and patient safety.