title: Burnout in health care providers of dialysis service in Northern Italy--a multicentre study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Few data are available regarding the prevalence of burnout among dialysis health care workers. Aims of the present study were to assess and compare burnout levels in a sample of nurses and physicians working in dialysis units, and to investigate their relationships with quality of life, in a cross-sectional observational study.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 344 workers from 10 dialysis centres in Northern Italy completed a battery of questionnaires including the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the MOS-36 Item Short Form Health Survey [SF36: physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) component scores] and the 30-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ30). Data on social and demographic characteristics and working conditions were also collected. General Estimating Equations models were used for the analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, burnout scores were lower than the Italian normative sample, with no significant differences between physicians and nurses. However, 30% of nurses had high emotional exhaustion vs 18% of physicians (adjusted OR 2.38, P = 0.003). Emotional exhaustion was also predicted by number of worked hours and months worked in dialysis in the previous 2 years. Depersonalisation was predicted by male gender and bad relationship with coworkers. Having no children and having a permanent hospital position predicted low personal accomplishment. PCS was lower in nurses (50.0 vs 53.3, P < 0.001), while no significant difference was found for MCS and GHQ30. Lower PCS was associated with emotional exhaustion (P = 0.007) and GHQ30 > 5 with depersonalization (P = 0.032).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although burnout is not a general problem in dialysis health care providers, a subgroup of them may be identified, who would benefit from supportive measures to prevent this condition. Nurses appeared more burned-out in the emotional exhaustion scale than physicians.
authors: Service of Biometry and Clinical Epidemiology, IRCCS Fondazione Policlinico San Matteo, Italy. klersy@smatteo.pv.it
authors: Catherine
authors: C
authors: Klersy
authors: Aliria
authors: A
authors: Callegari
authors: Valentina
authors: V
authors: Martinelli
authors: Valerio
authors: V
authors: Vizzardi
authors: Carlo
authors: C
authors: Navino
authors: Fabio
authors: F
authors: Malberti
authors: Renzo
authors: R
authors: Tarchini
authors: Giovanni
authors: G
authors: Montagna
authors: Carlo
authors: C
authors: Guastoni
authors: Roberto
authors: R
authors: Bellazzi
authors: Teresa
authors: T
authors: Rampino
authors: Salvatore
authors: S
authors: David
authors: Cristiana
authors: C
authors: Barbieri
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Dal Canton
authors: Pierluigi
authors: P
authors: Politi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002055:Burnout, Professional; D003956:Dialysis / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009726:Nurses; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010820:Physicians; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires