Descriptive study of burnout syndrome in a sample of nurses from Gran Canaria s southern health care area

Burnout syndrome, the result of chronic work-related stress, causes a significant deterioration of workers health, especially that of health care workers. It constitutes an ever increasing concern for governmental and private organizations, political leaders and trade unions. Various studies, both national and international, have been carried out with different groups of health workers in their various health care facilities, obtaining mixed results. The objective of this paper is to describe burnout indicators using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (Maslach & Jackson, 1986) on a sample of 101 nurses from public hospitals in Gran Canaria s southern health care area. Results confirm the high levels of burnout syndrome in those studies, Burnout levels were even higher than those found in other healthcare professions within the same autonomous community. These results are probably related to the difficulties nurses experience in their personal relationships at work and with the job s particular characteristics. The stimulating and positive side of their work is probably the best antidote against burnout syndrome.