Correlation between Work Engagement and Burnout among Registered Nurses: an Italian hospital survey

AIM: To investigate the correlation between work engagement and burnout among Italian nurses. INTRODUCTION: Work engagement is a protective factor against burnout. Both of them may be affected by the cultural and organizational features of the investigated population, which means that results cannot be generalized. In Italy studies to measure how they correlate have never been performed. METHODS: Monocentric and quantitative observational study. The Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale were used on a convenience sample of 318 nurses from an Italian hospital to assess the burnout and work engagement levels and to measure the existing correlation between the two conditions. RESULTS: Work engagement assessment highlighted average values of vigor (57.2%) and absorption (48%), while data referring to burnout demonstrated high levels of emotional exhaustion (55%) and depersonalization (41,5%). The three burnout dimensions and the three work engagement dimensions showed a close and meaningful correlation (p ≤0,01). A correlation between work engagement and burnout has been found. CONCLUSIONS: The correlation between Work Engagement and Burnout highlighted in Italian nurses should encourage the implementation of strategies which may enhance work engagement levels to limit burnout, improving the well-being of healthcare workers and significantly influencing the quality of the care process.