title: Investigating burnout situations, nurses' stress perception and effect of a post-graduate education program in health care organizations of northern Italy: a multicenter study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Burnout (BO) is increasingly considered a public health problem: it is not only harmful to the individual, but also for the organization. Therefore, in recent years, research has given particular attention to the study of the phenomenon and its antecedents among the nursing profession. In the last ten years, the literature shows the prevalence of BO in different clinical settings, but there are few recent data describing the phenomenon and its relationship with educational preventive programs.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aims of this study are: a) to describe the prevalence of nurses' risk of BO in the northern Italy area b) to describe nurses' coping and their perception of the BO antecedents. c) to describe the effects of education on the nurses' coping and their recognition of BO antecedents.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study is structured into two main parts. The first was cross-sectional, the second was prospective. Burnout Potential Inventory (BPI) questionnaire was used in the cross-sectional part to survey risk of BO in three big hospitals in Northern Italy. The Health Profession Stress and Coping Scale (HPSCS) was used in the prospective part to survey the nurses' stress perception and their coping mechanisms in a post-graduate educational program.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nurses' BO risk is within the normal range, although the BPI highlighted three borderline subscales: poor team work, work overload and poor feedback. Post-graduate education had a positive effect on the stress perception, but it is not sufficient to improve coping mechanisms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study revealed the more stressful work situations and the effect of post-graduate education to prevent the effects of stress. This topic needs further investigation in the light of the result of this study.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Arrigoni
authors.forename: Rosario
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Caruso
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Campanella
authors.forename: Francesca Gigli
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Berzolari
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Miazza
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pelissero
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000451:nursing*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing; D005260:Female; D006298:Health Services Administration; D006769:Hospitals, General; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires