Introduction: Constant exposure to stress, which is characteristic of the nursing profession, has a significant impact on the development of reduced job satisfaction, compassion fatigue and burnout. Burnout is the result of unsuccessfully managed chronic stress at work. This is a significant psychosocial problem in healthcare, as the nursing profession requires a high level of responsibility. One of the effective ways to prevent and deal with burnout is mindfulness, which is increasingly the subject of research in clinical and health psychology. Known for thousands of years as the core of Buddhist meditation, its essential characteristics are awareness and acceptance. Purpose: The purpose of the master's thesis was to determine the prevalence of burnout in nurses and to identify the role of selected factors in nurses’ burnout and professional fulfillment. In addition, we aiemd to examine the relationship of burnout and professional fulfillment with the use of mindfulness techniques and dispositional mindfulness of nurses. Methods: The master's thesis was empirical. It included a survey completed by 114 nurses. The Professional Fulfillment Index and the Mindful Attention and Awareness Scale were used. Respondents reported demographic and job characteristics; on professional fulfillment, which includes work exhaustion and depersonalization, and on mindfulness techniques and their application. Results: Our research showed high levels of burnout in nurses. However, the results showed that gender, age and education are not associated with self-reported burnout of participating nurses. Consistent with previous research, we found that high levels of burnout are quite common. The level of burnout was negatively associated with the use of mindfulness techniques, such as focused attention, loving kindness, and mindful breathing. On the contrary, the level of professional fulfillment was positively associated with the use of thesetechniques. The self-assessed dispositional mindfulness of the participating nurses was also significantly associated with the level of burnout (negative) and professional fulfillment (positive). Discussion and conclusion: Our research results highlights the increasingly common phenomenon of burnout in nursing. Burnout can affect any nurse regardless of gender, age and education. It is important to recognize the symptoms of burnout early and know the mindfulness techniques that can prevent burnout in nurses.
|