PERFORMANCE AND BURNOUT IN INTENSIVE-CARE UNITS

The relationship between three different performance measures and burn out was explored in 20 Dutch Intensive Care Units (ICUs). Burnout (i.e . emotional exhaustion and depersonalization) proved to be significant ly related to nurses' perceptions of performance as well as to objecti vely assessed unit performance. Subjective performance measures relate negatively to burnout levels of nurses, whereas an objective performa nce measure relates positively to burnout. Furthermore, subjectively a ssessed personal performance (i.e. personal accomplishment) is more st rongly related to burnout than subjectively assessed unit performance. A model test of the relationship between both types of subjective per formance and burnout reveals that nurses' perception of unit performan ce is indirectly related to burnout through perception of personal per formance. This model holds similarly for objectively well- and poor-pe rforming ICUs.