Abstract

This study examined the syndrome of professional burnout among nurses/technicians and caregivers in nursing homes in Croatia and Slovenia. A total of 436 respondents participated in the study (240 from Croatia and 196 from Slovenia). The study included an analysis of demographic data such as age, marital status, education and length of service, as well as the respondents’ attitude towards the professional burnout syndrome. A validated questionnaire, The Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI), was used to assess the level of professional burnout. The results showed high levels of professional burnout syndrome in both countries, with almost half of the respondents being in the high-intensity category. Additionally, demographic variables did not have a clear significant impact on the professional burnout variable. Analyses did not show significant differences between Croatia and Slovenia in terms of burnout syndrome intensity. The importance of the professional burnout syndrome problem among healthcare workers in nursing homes was highlighted, as well as the need for further research in order to better understand the factors contributing to this phenomenon, and the need to include a larger sample of respondents within specific subcategories of the researched variables.