Factors Influencing Burnout Among Hospice and Palliative Care Ward Nurses

Nurses are important in delivering comfortable care and serve as central figures in patient-centered care in hospice and palliative care units. Nurse burnout negatively affects organizational outcomes by threatening patient safety and reducing the quality of nursing care. This study aimed to identify the factors influencing burnout among nurses in hospice and palliative care units. This descriptive correlational study investigated the effects of nursing practice environment, resilience, and nurses’ character on burnout among hospice and palliative care ward nurses. The participants were 217 nurses working in hospice wards of 20 institutions selected from the 88 inpatient hospice and palliative care institutions designated by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in South Korea, as of 2021. The results showed that a better nursing practice environment and higher resilience were positively associated with lower burnout. Among hospice and palliative care nurses, being in their 30s and having fewer than 5 years of total clinical experience were associated with higher burnout. The explanatory power of the model is 43.6%. These findings suggest that multidimensional interventions are required to prevent burnout among nurses in hospice and palliative care settings.