The effectiveness of primary nursing on burnout among psychiatric nurses in long-stay settings

This study was set up to test the effectiveness of primary nursing on the burnout level of psychiatric nurses. It was expected that, under certain conditions, such as a primary nursing care delivery with an adequate feedback system, the burnout level would decrease. In a quasi-experimental research design, a cohort of 161 psychiatric nurses was followed for 2.5 years. Results showed that although the burnout level did not change as a result of primary nursing, psychiatric nurses and the practical nurses seemed able to work according to the principles of primary nursing; Strong indications were found that the job turnover decreased as a result of the introduction of primary nursing, Because two main problems were encountered in this study, a high drop-out due to job turnover among nurses and the imitation of the intervention by the control group, several additional analyses were performed.