Prevalence of Burnout among Professionals Who Care for Elderly and Chronically Ill Patients

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of Burnout Syndrome among professionals who care for elderly and chronically ill patients and the relationship between the appearance of Burnout and sociodemographic and job related variables. The sample consisted of 265 employees who worked directly with the elderly and chronically ill. It was composed mostly of women, 94.3%. The average age was 43 (SD = 10.2). We made use of the following instruments: a sociodemographic questionnaire and the Maslach Burnout Inventory—HSS (Semedo, 2009). The results show that 19.6% of participants have high rates of emotional exhaustion, 4.9% present high depersonalization, and 2.6% experience low personal accomplishment. Disease severity and support services influence personal accomplishment. Age proved to be a predictor of the emotional exhaustion variable, while the length of service at an institution variable not only proved to be a predictor of emotional exhaustion, but also of personal accomplishment. The prevention of Burnout Syndrome constitutes one of the major challenges for occupational health care providers to the elderly and chronically ill.