The impact of misunderstanding and limited professional autonomy of general nurses working in intensive care on the development of burnout syndrome

Overview

Jirkovská V, Dolák F. The impact of misunderstanding and limited professional autonomy of general nurses working in intensive care on the development of burnout syndrome

Burnout is a significant problem in healthcare, affecting not only the mental but also the physical well-being of healthcare professionals and the quality of care provided. A particularly vulnerable group of professionals are general nurses working in intensive care units, who are exposed to high daily work demands, stress and emotionally demanding situations. One of the factors that has been shown to contribute to the development of burnout syndrome is the limitation of professional autonomy, i.e. the extent to which general nurses are able to make decisions about their work and exercise their own judgement within their defined competencies.

The aim of the literature review was to analyse existing publications published between 2020 and 2025 that relate specifically to general nurses working in critical care. The analysis itself has already shown that this topic has not been sufficiently explored and deserves the attention of further researchers. Understanding these contexts can contribute to the search for strategies to prevent burnout and improve the working conditions and status of general nurses in critical care.

Keywords:

intensive care – nursing – burn-out – nursing autonomy