Determinants of Nurses’ Burnout; A Systematic Review

Abstract

Nurses’ burnout has become a pressing global issue with serious consequences for workforce sustainability, patient safety, and overall healthcare system performance. In the wake of increasing clinical complexity, persistent staffing shortages, demanding shift schedules, and mounting organizational pressures particularly in the post-pandemic landscape nurses face elevated risks of burnout across various roles and settings. This systematic review synthesizes recent evidence concerning the factors that contribute to nurses’ burnout and explores the resulting outcomes at the individual, organizational, and system levels. Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, a comprehensive search of multiple electronic databases was conducted to identify peer-reviewed studies involving registered nurses and examining burnout determinants and consequences. The included studies, spanning quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods designs, were narratively synthesized and summarized in a review matrix. Findings highlight burnout as a complex, multifactorial phenomenon shaped by the interplay of individual conditions such as fatigue, poor sleep quality, and limited resilience; organizational influences including excessive workload, inadequate staffing, unsupportive leadership, and negative work environments; and broader contextual stressors like those introduced by the COVID-19 pandemic. Emotional exhaustion emerged as the most prevalent and consistently reported dimension of burnout. Burnout was strongly linked to negative outcomes such as diminished job satisfaction, higher turnover intentions, mental health deterioration, and reduced patient safety. Addressing burnout effectively requires multi-level strategies that go beyond individual coping mechanisms and target systemic issues through improved organizational structures, proactive leadership, and supportive workforce policies. Sustainable interventions are essential to protecting nurses’ well-being, promoting staff retention, and ensuring the continued delivery of safe, high-quality care.