title: Relationship between job burnout, psychosocial factors and health care-associated infections in critical care units.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Burnout is a serious problem for critical care unit workers because they are exposed to chronic psychosocial stressors, including high responsibility, advanced technology and high patient acuity. Recent evidence showed that staff burnout was directly associated with hospital infections, thus affecting quality and safety of care provided.
  
  
  METHODS
  The research aim was to investigate how burnout was associated with some psychosocial factors and with health care-associated infections in hospitalised patients. A total of 130 healthcare professionals from critical care units completed a self-reported questionnaire. The infection data were collected prospectively over a six-month period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results showed that emotional exhaustion was related to cynicism due to high work demands. Cynicism affected team communication, which in turn was positively related to team efficacy, thus acting as a mediator. Finally, team efficacy was negatively related to infections.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study showed that emotional exhaustion and cynicism were related to psychosocial aspects, which in turn had a significant impact on healthcare-associated infections. Our findings suggest how burnout can indirectly affect healthcare-related infections as a result of the quality of teamwork. Thus, reducing burnout can be a good strategy to decrease infections, thus increasing workers' well-being while improving patient care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Clinical and Molecular Medicine, University of Cagliari, Italy. Electronic address: maura.galletta@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Maura
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Galletta
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Clinical and Molecular Medicine, University of Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Portoghese
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Clinical and Molecular Medicine, University of Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Ernesto
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: D'Aloja
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Clinical and Molecular Medicine, University of Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mereu
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Clinical and Molecular Medicine, University of Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Contu
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Clinical and Molecular Medicine, University of Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Rosa Cristina
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Coppola
authors.affiliation: Anesthesia and Intensive Care Department, Pain Therapy Service, University of Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Finco
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Clinical and Molecular Medicine, University of Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Marcello
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Campagna
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000451:nursing* / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000458:organization & administration; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009726:Nurses / Q000523:psychology* / Q000592:standards; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Critical care units; Hospital infections; Job burnout; Psychosocial variables; Team communication; Team efficacy