Two out of three nurses are often or constantly emotionally and physically exhausted, one in two feels burnt out by their work and one in three is frustrated by their work. These are the results of a survey conducted by the Croatian Nursing Council (HKMS) on the subject of burnout.

“Burnout is not only harmful for nurses, but also for their medical facilities, the morale of the team, the working environment and the patients,” said HKMS President Mario Gazic on Thursday.

The high level of stress has to do with work overload, great responsibility for people’s lives and health, unsatisfactory income, problems with work organisation and poor interpersonal relationships in the workplace, he said.

Burnout syndrome, which is a result of prolonged multiple stresses at work, involves an increasing loss of idealism, energy, efficiency and the feeling that one’s work is not important.

High burnout score

The survey was conducted at the end of 2023 and included 4,590 nurses. Its aim was to determine the presence of burnout and whether or not nurses perceive it as a result of their work or patients.

The survey revealed statistically significant differences in the presence of burnout depending on the qualification and type of medical facility. General nurses and nurses with a secondary school degree feel more burnt out than nurses with a master’s degree, as do nurses who work in hospitals as opposed to those who work in clinics.

The survey also shows that nurses are more likely to associate their burnout syndrome with the amount of work and their work environment than with patient care and their relationship with patients.

On a scale of 0-100, Croatian nurses have a burnout score of 57.

Gazic said that this is the first survey of its kind and that it will be conducted every two years to identify factors that contribute to burnout syndrome and to suggest policies and practises to promote a healthy work environment in healthcare facilities.

He announced that the HKMS will open a mental health counselling centre for nurses next week.