General Health Status and Burnout of the Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Nurses in Tehran

Background:Nowadays, it has been found that the mental state of caregivers may have a noticeable effect on both patient and caregiver’s health. This study was conducted to determine the burnout and general health status of the hematopoietic stem cell transplantation nurses in Tehran, Iran. Methods:In a cross-sectional study, burnout and general health status of 65 hematopoietic stem cell transplantation nurses in Tehran were examined. Each subject filled out two questionnaires in 2010: The General Health Questionnaire and the Maslach Burnout Inventory as well as demographic information. The data were gathered after obtaining the participants’ agreement to take part in the study. Results:The majority (67.7%) of the nurses had scores lower than the cut off score of the General Health Questionnaire-28. The majority of the nurses were in the low level in terms of emotional exhaustion (50.8%), depersonalization (66.2%), and personal accomplishment (58.5%). The general health status score of the nurses was positively related to emotional exhaustion and depersonalization scores. However, there was an inverse relationship between health status and personal accomplishment scores.Conclusion:The result of the current study did not have a significant agreement with the general view indicating that working in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation units leads to an increase in burnout levels. Hence, the majority of nurses were in low levels in terms of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization and in good condition in terms of general health status; there is a need for conducting further studies in order to find out the reason behind these differences.