The relationship between nurses’ clinical competencies and burnout in neonatal intensive care units: A cross-sectional study

To assess the level of nurses' burnout, and clinical competence in nursing care at the intensive care unit and identify the relationship between them and the general information of the study sample. A cross-sectional study employing a convenience sampling approach was conducted to identify the relationship between burnout and clinical competencies in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) nurses. Data were collected through a questionnaire distributed to nurses between December ۵, ۲۰۲۳ and February ۱۰, ۲۰۲۴. A total of ۱۲۸ NICU nurses participated in this research. The average age of nurses is ۲۹.۰ (SD=۶.۰) years, with ۶۷.۲% of them falling within the ۲۰ to less than ۳۰ years age group. The gender distribution shows that ۸۱.۳% of the nurses working in the NICU are female, while only ۱۸.۸% are male. ۷۲.۷% of NICU nurses had high clinical competence and ۲۷.۳% of them had moderate clinical competence. There is no significant relationship between clinical competencies and burnout among nurses. Furthermore, burnout does not significantly affect clinical competencies among NICU nurses, as evidenced by the lack of significant differences in the overall scores and sub-domains of burnout. The study recommended that there is a need to incorporate materials related to burnout syndrome and there is a need to offer incentives for nurses to enhance the clinical competencies of the intensive care unit.

Keywords:

burnout , competencies , Clinical , Intensive Care Unit , Nursing , Nurses