Stress and burnout in a group of intensive care unit medical personnel - a preliminary study

Introduction: Stress and burnout occur frequently among doctors and nurses. The goal of the work was to analyse differences in coping strategies and burnout between doctors and nurses in an intensive care unit. Material and methods: The research was carried out in the intensive care unit of the Emergency Medicine Trauma and Disaster Centre of the University Hospital in Krakow, Poland. There were 119 participants: 37 male doctors, 23 female doctors, and 59 female nurses. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and Mini-COPE Stress Management Inventory were used. Results: Differences between medical doctors (MDs) in the level of burnout and coping strategies were found. Conclusions: Interventions aimed at the welfare and psychological needs of health care professionals should be promptly implemented by hospital management, with a view to reducing psychological distress.