• V Meeusen, K VAN Dam, C Brown-Mahoney, A VAN Zundert, and H Knape.
• Department of Anaesthesiology, Catharina Hospital, Brabant Medical School, Eindhoven, Michelangelolaan 2, 5623 EJ Eindhoven, The Netherlands. meeusen44@hetnet.nl
• Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. 2010 May 1; 54 (5): 616-21.

BackgroundTo meet the increasing demand for healthcare providers, it is crucial to recruit and retain more nurse anaesthetists (NAs). The majority of NAs in the Netherlands are >45 years old, and retaining them in their jobs is very important. This study investigates the relationships among burnout, physical health and job satisfaction among Dutch NAs.MethodsTwo thousand NAs working in Dutch hospitals were invited to participate in this online questionnaire. We tested the relationships among burnout, psychosomatic symptoms, sickness absence, perceived general health and job satisfaction.ResultsNine hundred and twenty-three questionnaires were completed and analysed (46% response rate). Burnout and psychosomatic symptoms were negatively associated with job satisfaction, and predicted 27% of job satisfaction. Perceived general health was positively and sickness absence was negatively related to job satisfaction. Older NAs had a higher incidence of burnout than their younger counterparts.ConclusionsThe results confirmed the importance of a healthy psychosocial work environment for promoting job satisfaction. To prevent burnout, further research is necessary to determine the factors causing stress. These findings may also apply to anaesthesiologists who share many tasks and work in close cooperation with NAs.

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