Relation and effect of resilience on burnout in nurses: A literature review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Aim: To study the relation between burnout and resilience and to identify the profile of nurses presenting this quality.

Background and introduction: Healthcare professionals are subject to high rates of burnout. Resilience could be an important factor in preventing or alleviating this condition.

Methods: The PubMed, ProQuest, Scopus and ScienceDirect databases were consulted in February 2022 using the equation 'burnout AND resilience AND nurs*'. The inclusion criteria applied were that the texts should describe quantitative studies, be published in English or Spanish, in any year, and be directly related to the question considered. The meta-analysis was performed using StatsDirect statistical software.

Results: Analysis of the 29 studies shows that among the dimensions of burnout, nurses are especially prone to emotional exhaustion, and are less affected by depersonalisation and low personal accomplishment. Those who score highly for resilience tend to have longer service experience, acceptable salaries and less work overload. Meta-analysis reveals an inverse correlation between resilience and burnout (r = -0.41; n = 2750), exhaustion (r = -0.27; n = 6966) and depersonalisation (r = -0.23; n = 6115).

Conclusion: Many nurses present low levels of resilience and suffer from burnout syndrome. The application of programmes to enhance their resilience would help prevent burnout and optimise the potential to provide quality health care.

Implications for nursing and health policy: Resilience is inversely correlated with burnout, depersonalisation and emotional exhaustion. Accordingly, healthcare organisations should develop and implement evidence-based programmes to foster nurses' resilience and thus reduce their susceptibility to burnout.

Keywords: Burnout; meta-analysis; nurses; prevalence; resilience; systematic review.