Occupational Stress, Burnout, and Professional Support in Nurses Working with Dying Patients

Nurses working with dying people are exposed to numerous stress factors. Their occupational stress may be so important as to lead to burnout. The aim of the present study is to examine the relationship among occupational stress, burnout, and professional support in nurses working with patients dying from cancer. The study has taken place in four palliative care and three medical oncology units of the Montreal metropolitan region. In all, seventy-six nurses of the N nurses fitting the entrance criteria of the study were selected. Participants completed a French version of the following instruments: the Occupational Stress of Nurses Working with Dying Patients, the Jones Staff Burnout Scale for Health Professionals and the Professional Support Scale. Results indicate that there is a significant relationship between occupational stress and burnout ( r = 0.462, p < 0.001) and between professional support and burnout ( r = −0.449, p < 0.001). Further, the results showed that the level of occupational stress and burnout was significantly lower for the palliative care nurses who received significantly more professional support than their colleagues working in medical oncology units. Professional support and training for nurses working with patients dying from cancer should be implemented in order to minimize the development of burnout.