THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BURNOUT AND STRUCTURAL EMPOWERMENT AMONG MIDWIVES WORKING IN MATERNITY HOSPITALS IN ISFAHAN IN 2018

Burnout is a major social problem in the workplace. Burnout of midwives threatens the health of
this group of medical professionals and reduces the quality and quantity of services provided by them. Since planning
effective measures to reduce this problem requires the identification of related factors, this study was conducted to
investigate the relationship between burnout and structural empowerment among midwives.
Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive correlational study was conducted on 282 midwives
working in labor wards of hospitals in Isfahan (Iran) from December 6, 2017 to March 31, 2018.
Convenience Sampling was used. To collect information, conditions for work effectiveness
Questionnaire (CWEQ) and Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) were used. Partial correlation and
regression analysis were used to analyze the data.
Results: In this study, there were significant inverse correlations between the structural empowerment
and two domains of job burnout (emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment (r = - 0.16, p =
0.02; r = - 0.21, p < 0.001). Linear regression analysis showed that domains of structural empowerment
were significant predictors of the variance of job burnout in the emotional exhaustion and personal
accomplishment domains. (R2 = 0.08, p = 0.03, R2 = 0.15, p < 0.001)
Conclusion: Structural empowerment can be associated with reduction of burnout. Providing
transparent and complete information, providing the necessary support and sufficient resources and also
strengthening the organizational position of midwives can provide the structural empowerment of
midwives' work environments and reduce their burnout