Determinants of burnout among nurses and midwives at a tertiary hospital in Ghana: A cross-sectional study

Douglas Aninng Opoku; Nana Kwame Ayisi-Boateng; Aliyu Mohammed; Alhassan Sulemana; Abigail Owusuwaa Gyamfi; Dominic Kwabena Owusu; Dorothy Yeboah; Kathryn Spangenberg; Hilda Maria Ofosu; Anthony Kwaku Edusei

doi:10.1002/nop2.1355

Determinants of burnout among nurses and midwives at a tertiary hospital in Ghana: A cross-sectional study

Nurs Open. 2023 Feb;10(2):869-878. doi: 10.1002/nop2.1355. Epub 2022 Sep 9.

Affiliations

¹ Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
² Allen Clinic, Family Healthcare Services, Kumasi, Ghana.
³ Department of Medicine, School of Medicine and Dentistry, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
⁴ University Hospital, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
⁵ Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
⁶ Department of Environmental Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
⁷ Obstetrics and Gynaecology Directorate, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana.
⁸ Family Medicine Directorate, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana.
⁹ Department of Health Promotion and Education, School of Public Health, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.

Abstract

Aim: This study determined the prevalence and key determinants of burnout among nurses and midwives in Kumasi, Ghana.

Design: Hospital-based cross-sectional study.

Method: A questionnaire was used to obtain data from 391 nurses and midwives at a tertiary hospital in Kumasi, Ghana using simple random sampling.

Results: About 84.4% of the participants were females. The majority of the study participants experienced low burnout for all dimensions (58% in emotional exhaustion, 55.5% poor personal accomplishment and 38.3% depersonalization). Multiple regression analysis revealed that high emotional exhaustion was independently predicted by post-graduate education (β = 6.42, p = .003), lack of support from management (β = 2.07, p = .024), dislike for leadership style, (β = 3.54, p < .001) and inadequate number of staff (β = 2.93, p = .005). Age (β = 0.35, p = .004), lack of support from management (β = 1.60, p = .012), and inadequate number of staff (β = 1.49, p = .034) independently predicted high depersonalisation. Female sex (β = 4.36, p < .001) and years of practice (β = -0.26, p < .001) independently predicted low personal accomplishment.

Keywords: burnout; depersonalisation; emotional exhaustion; midwives; nurses; personal accomplishment.

MeSH terms

Burnout, Professional* / epidemiology
Burnout, Psychological
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Ghana / epidemiology
Humans
Male
Midwifery*
Nurses*
Pregnancy
Tertiary Care Centers