Abstract

Background: Burnout is considered a psychological syndrome followed by emotional disturbance, depersonalization, and minimized personal accomplishment sense. It is a significant issue for nurses in Intensive Care Unit (ICU), specifically in high-pressure settings such as the Gaza Strip. The sustained conflict of the region, shortages of resources, and persistent deficiencies of staff might further enhance the risks of burnout for such healthcare professionals.
Objectives: This study aimed to identify the burnout prevalence and recognize related demographic and occupational factors in ICU nurses who work in the Gaza Strip governmental hospitals.
Methods: A cross-sectional study that included 113 ICU nurses from five governmental hospitals in the Gaza Strip was conducted using a census sampling technique. Eligible participants were nurses with at least one year of experience working in adult intensive care units. Data were collected using a validated Arabic version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS). Descriptive statistics, independent-samples t-tests, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to analyze the data, with p < 0.05 considered statistically significant. The study was conducted between February and August 2021.
Results: The overall level of burnout was low (mean = 2.928). High levels of emotional exhaustion (EE) were reported by 49.6% of participants, while depersonalization (DP) was very low (mean = 1.808) and personal accomplishment (PA) was moderate (mean = 3.992). Significant associations were found with place of residence, family size, working overtime, and educational qualification. No significant associations were observed with gender, age, marital status, years of experience, income, night duties, or sleep duration.
Conclusion: Although overall levels of burnout were low, a significant number of ICU nurses faced high emotional disturbance. Targeted interventions addressing workload, family stressors, and educational help are important for mitigating burnout in this high-risk group.

Key words: Burnout; Intensive Care Units, Occupational Stress, Depersonalization, Psychological Stress, Gaza strip, Nurses