Burnout syndrome in critical care nurses from an organizational and social perspective
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36097/rsan.v1iEspecial_3.4104Keywords:
Burnout Syndrome , Critical care nursing, occupational health, Health services organization, Working conditions, Health systemsAbstract
The present study aims to determine the organizational, occupational, and social factors associated with Burnout Syndrome (BS) among nursing professionals working in critical care units. To this end, a critical narrative review of scientific and documentary literature published mainly between 2015 and 2025 was conducted. The search was carried out in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and SciELO using terms related to burnout, critical care nursing, occupational health, health systems, and organizational factors. The information was organized into individual, organizational, and social dimensions. The reviewed literature identifies workload, extended shifts, shortages of staff and resources, job insecurity, continuous exposure to suffering and death, lack of institutional recognition, and increased administrative tasks associated with health technologies as factors linked to burnout. These conditions are associated with emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, reduced professional accomplishment, increased staff turnover, care-related errors, and deterioration in the quality of care. Individual strategies, such as self-care and stress management, show limited benefits when they are not accompanied by sustained organizational changes. It is concluded that burnout among nurses working in critical care settings should be understood as an organizational and social phenomenon, in addition to an individual one. Its prevention requires institutional policies aimed at improving staffing levels, regulating workloads and working hours, strengthening psychosocial support, promoting ethical work environments, and designing technologies that enhance professional autonomy and quality of care.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Geny Margoth Rivera Salazar, Marx Anthony Alarcón Rivera, Cesar Andraus Quintero, María Auxiliadora Rendón Cabrera
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