Perspectives and Experiences of Registered Nurses on the Contributory Factors to Their Burnout: A Qualitative Study

Introduction: Burnout affects millions of nurses physically and psychologically hence increasing their intention to leave the profession.
Aim: This study aimed to explore the perception and experiences which contribute to the burnout of nurses in Tonga.
Method: This qualitative study was conducted amongst registered nurses (RNs) in the Vaiola hospital, the Kingdom of Tonga who were chosen purposively. Twenty-five RNs participated in this study. A semi-structured open-ended interview guide was used to collect data. The interview data was transcribed and analyzed using manual thematic analysis by categorizing the relevant responses that connected to each other, cleaned and the coded data were sorted into themes and sub-themes.
Results: Three major themes identified include work overload factors, lack of reward and recognition and unfair appraisals of staff by the managers. Sub-themes for work overload factors were shortage of staff, physical resources and the number of shifts worked. Sub-themes for lack of reward and recognition were dissatisfaction with the current extrinsic motivators, lack of social recognition and lack of intrinsic recognition. Sub-themes for unfair appraisals of staff by the managers were inequity in workload, dissatisfaction in handling of promotions and nurse’s annual performance appraisals and inadequate leadership and management skills. This study highlighted the key factors contributed to burnout among nurses.
Conclusion: The results of this study can help the decision makers improve the nursing workforce job satisfaction in the future. Further research is needed to determine the in-depth effects of burnout on nurses at the maritime hospitals and other healthcare professionals to inform future interventions addressing these issues more effectively.
Keywords: Contributing factors, Burnout, Registered nurses, Job satisfaction, Tonga