In many caring environments burnout is a growing phenomenon concerning helping professions; in particular, in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) many variables can intervene in its development, with serious implications in personal, welfare and organizative terms. This survey has been carried out in a large Roman hospital. Three questionnaires (MBI. BPI, sociographic analysis) were given to compare two groups: 102 shift nurses of ICUs, and 106 shift nurses of Ordinary Wards (OWs) in order to evaluate burnout levels and predisposing organizational and environmental factors. At the end of the survey, of the correctly filled out questionnaires, 50 of ICU nurses and 50 of OW nurses were collected to constitute our two research groups.
Results: There were substantial differences in development forms and evolution of burnout in the two groups examined: in OWs emotional exhaustion prevails, while in ICUs depersonalization and reduced personal achievement are predominant; there is a significant relation with the seniority in the same ward variable. BPI has highlighted various environmental factors in two working contexts.