Presenteeism and burnout in nurses: a review of the literature

Presenteeism, characterized by going to work sick, has become increasingly prevalent in nursing, a profession with high social and interpersonal demands. It is associated with a deterioration of the health of nurses, a reduction in the excellence of care, and a decrease in safety for users. Burnout is related to stress and mental overload and is characterized by exhaustion and fatigue. Objective: To map the evidence on the relationship between presenteeism and burnout in nurses. Methods: A literature review was carried out using the EBSCOHost Research search engine in various databases. Eight studies were selected and analyzed. Results: The studies identify a consistent relationship between burnout and presenteeism in nurses. Emotional exhaustion, resulting from burnout, can lead nurses to go to work despite being ill, due to a sense of responsibility, ethical duty, or organizational pressures. Most studies are cross-sectional, which limits the ability to establish causal relationships and identify specific interventions to reduce burnout-related presenteeism in nursing. Conclusions: It is essential to invest in health management policies for nurses to reduce burnout and minimize the consequences of presenteeism.

Keywords

Burnout Nurses Presenteeism

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.14/55355

Citation

Vaz, A. C., Vermelho, M., Silva, M., & Costa, P. et al. (2025). Presenteeism and burnout in nurses: a review of the literature. Encyclopedia, 5(3), Article 93. https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia5030093