PROFESSIONAL QUALITY OF LIFE, BURNOUT AND SOCIAL SUPPORT AMONG HUNGARIAN PALLIATIVE NURSES
Author(s)
Miklós Lukács, MSc1, Ilona Karácsony, PhD2, Imre Boncz, MSc, PhD, MD3, József Betlehem, PhD, habil.4, Annamaria Pakai, MSc, RN, PhD4;
1University of Pécs, Institute of Nursing Sciences, Basic Health Sciences and Health Visiting, Pécs, Hungary, 2University of Pécs, Faculty of Health Sciences, Institute of Basic Health Sciences, Midwifery and Health Visiting, Szombathely, Hungary, 3University of Pécs, Faculty of Health Sciences, Institute of Health Insurance, Pécs, Hungary, 4University of Pécs, Faculty of Health Sciences, Institute of Emergency Care, Pedagogy of Health and Nursing Sciences, Pécs, Hungary
1University of Pécs, Institute of Nursing Sciences, Basic Health Sciences and Health Visiting, Pécs, Hungary, 2University of Pécs, Faculty of Health Sciences, Institute of Basic Health Sciences, Midwifery and Health Visiting, Szombathely, Hungary, 3University of Pécs, Faculty of Health Sciences, Institute of Health Insurance, Pécs, Hungary, 4University of Pécs, Faculty of Health Sciences, Institute of Emergency Care, Pedagogy of Health and Nursing Sciences, Pécs, Hungary
OBJECTIVES: Hospice-palliative nurses face continuous emotional demands that may influence their professional quality of life. Understanding the balance between compassion satisfaction, burnout, and social support is vital for workforce resilience. Empirical data from Hungary are limited.
METHODS: The survey included nurses working in both home-based and institutional hospice-palliative care settings. The study was cross-sectional, anonymous, and conducted online. Three validated instruments were used: the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL-V), the Maslach Burnout Inventory - Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS), and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). The analysis explored the relationships between burnout, supervision, and perceived social support. The study was conducted with appropriate ethical approval.
RESULTS: Participants reported moderate-to-high compassion satisfaction and low-to-moderate burnout. However, nurses not attending supervision or case-conference sessions (44%) showed higher emotional exhaustion on MBI-HSS items. Perceived social support was generally high (mean=5.267), and correlated positively with compassion satisfaction and negatively with burnout (p<0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: Hungarian palliative nurses generally maintain balanced professional well-being, yet the absence of regular supervision and reflective sessions increases burnout risk. Strong family and peer support appear protective. Institutional strategies promoting supervision and psychosocial support are recommended to sustain nurse well-being and resilience in hospice care.
METHODS: The survey included nurses working in both home-based and institutional hospice-palliative care settings. The study was cross-sectional, anonymous, and conducted online. Three validated instruments were used: the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL-V), the Maslach Burnout Inventory - Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS), and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). The analysis explored the relationships between burnout, supervision, and perceived social support. The study was conducted with appropriate ethical approval.
RESULTS: Participants reported moderate-to-high compassion satisfaction and low-to-moderate burnout. However, nurses not attending supervision or case-conference sessions (44%) showed higher emotional exhaustion on MBI-HSS items. Perceived social support was generally high (mean=5.267), and correlated positively with compassion satisfaction and negatively with burnout (p<0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: Hungarian palliative nurses generally maintain balanced professional well-being, yet the absence of regular supervision and reflective sessions increases burnout risk. Strong family and peer support appear protective. Institutional strategies promoting supervision and psychosocial support are recommended to sustain nurse well-being and resilience in hospice care.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2026-05, ISPOR 2026, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Value in Health, Volume 29, Issue S6
Code
HSD69
Topic
Health Service Delivery & Process of Care
Disease
No Additional Disease & Conditions/Specialized Treatment Areas, STA: Multiple/Other Specialized Treatments