A Study of Predictors and Levels of Burnout: The Case of Professional Nurses in Primary Health Care Facilities in the Free State1

Abstract In South Africa, nurses form the backbone of the primary health care (PHC) system. Their well‐being is, therefore, of paramount importance in the effective provisioning of health services. This paper explores predictors and levels of burnout experienced by professional nurses working in PHC facilities in the Free State. The sample comprised 182 nurses working in facilities rendering antiretroviral treatment (ART) services and 361 nurses working in facilities not rendering ART. Respondents completed a series of standardised instruments. Descriptive statistics were calculated and stepwise regression analysis performed to investigate the relative contribution of various stressors to the variance in burnout. High levels of burnout were identified. Availability of resources, workload and conflict at work explain 21% of the variance in the level of emotional exhaustion reported by the professional nurses. To a large degree, the results indicate that the well‐being of professional nurses is significantly affected by chronic work overload and occupational stress.