subjective perception of physical effort and Burnout Syndrome in ICU personnel: A study in Cajamarca
Main Article Content
Abstract
Burnout syndrome represents a challenge for healthcare professionals, especially in intensive care units (ICUs), where constant exposure to critical situations increases the risk of fatigue and emotional exhaustion. This cross-sectional and correlational study aimed to analyze the association between the subjective perception of physical exertion and burnout syndrome in ICU staff at a hospital in Cajamarca, Peru. The sample included 64 medical and nursing professionals, assessed using the Borg Scale and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). The results showed low levels of emotional exhaustion (87.5%) and depersonalization (84.4%), along with high personal accomplishment (62.5%), in contrast to international studies that report moderate to high prevalences. The perception of physical exertion was higher in women, workers with less than 10 years of experience, and contracted personnel. Furthermore, low levels of exertion were significantly associated with a lower likelihood of experiencing emotional exhaustion. These findings indicate that perceived physical load and working conditions influence vulnerability to burnout. It is recommended to implement strategies for task redistribution, staff rotation and ergonomic measures to reduce fatigue and strengthen resilience in critical contexts
Downloads
Article Details

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
El contenido de los artículos es responsabilidad exclusiva de los autores.
Debe cumplir con los siguientes aspectos de la licencia CC BY NC ND :
- Atribución: debe otorgar el crédito correspondiente, proporcionar un enlace a la licencia e indicar si se realizó algún cambio. Puede hacerlo de cualquier manera razonable, pero no de ninguna manera que sugiera que el licenciante lo respalda a usted o su uso.
- No comercial: el material no se puede utilizar con fines comerciales.
- Sin derivados: si remezcla, transforma o construye sobre el material, no puede distribuir el material modificado.
- Sin restricciones adicionales: No se pueden aplicar términos legales o medidas tecnológicas que restrinjan legalmente a otros de hacer cualquier cosa que permita la licencia.
References
Arnaud Bruyneel, P. S., & Jérôme Tack, M. P. (2021). Prevalence of burnout risk and factors associated with burnout risk among ICU nurses during the COVID-19 outbreak in French speaking Belgium. Intensive and Critical Care Nursing, 65, 103059. Documento en línea. Disponible https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iccn.2021.103059
Borg, G. A. (1982). Psychophysical bases of perceived exertion. Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise, 14(5), 377-381.
De la Fuente, C., Martínez-Valdés, E., Priego-Quesada, JI, Weinstein, A., Valencia, O., Kunzler, MR, ... y Carpes, FP. (2021). Comprensión del efecto de la longitud de ventana y la superposición para evaluar la sEMG en contracciones dinámicas con fatiga: Reducción de la dimensionalidad no lineal y agrupamiento. Journal of Biomechanics, 125, 110598.
Domínguez Paniagua, J. (2021). Escala de Borg original. Documento en línea. Disponible https://fisiosaludable-com.us9.cdn-alpha.com//publicaciones/articulos/449-escala-de-borg-original
Fischer, R., Mattos, P., Teixeira, C., Ganzerla, D. S., Rosa, R. G., & Bozza, F. A. (2020). Association of Burnout with Depression and Anxiety in Critical Care Clinicians in Brazil. JAMA Network Open, 3(12), e2030898. Documento en línea. Disponible https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.30898
Foster, C, Florhaug, JA, Franklin, J, Gottschall, L, Hrovatin, LA, Parker, S, … Dodge, C. (2001). A new approach to monitoring exercise training. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 15, 109–115.
Grueso Alcántara, F. J., & Arroyo Ruíz, L. M. (2016). El síndrome del burnout en profesionales sanitarios. Libro de Actas del IX Congreso Internacional y XIV Nacional de Psicología Clínica, 45. Documento en línea. Disponible https://enfermeriadeurgencias.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/burnout-profesionales-sanitarios.pdf
Hasan, F., Daraghmeh, T., Jaber, M., & Shawahna, R. (2024). Prevalence of burnout syndrome among anesthesiologists, anesthesia technicians, and intensive care unit nurses in Palestinian hospitals: A cross-sectional study. BMC Psychiatry, 24(1), 740. Documento en línea. Disponible https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-024-06196-y
Lee, M., & Cha, C. (2023). Interventions to reduce burnout among clinical nurses: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Scientific Reports, 13(1), 10971. Documento en línea. Disponible https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-38169-8
Li, L., Fan, J., Qiu, L., Li, C., Han, X., Liu, M., Zhao, S., & Wang, Y. (2024). Prevalence and factors associated with job burnout among nurses in China: A cross-sectional study. Nursing Open, 11(6), e2211. Documento en línea. Disponible https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.2211
Marcora, S. M., Staiano, W., & Manning, V. (2009). Mental fatigue impairs physical performance in humans. Journal of Applied Physiology, 106(3), 857-864. Documento en línea. Disponible https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.91324.2008
Petro, J. L., Ferrari, G., Cardozo, L. A., Vargas-Molina, S., Carbone, L., Kreider, R. B., & Bonilla, D. A. (2025). Validity of Rating of Perceived Exertion Scales in Relation to Movement Velocity and Exercise Intensity During Resistance-Exercise: A Systematic Review. Sports Health, 17(3), 621-628. Documento en línea. Disponible https://doi.org/10.1177/19417381241260412
Roca Edelman, S. G., Duran Viveros, N., & Fernández García, J. M. (2024). Síndrome de Burnout en Personal de Salud y Factores Asociados. 5(4), 1723-1737. Documento en línea. Disponible https://doi.org/10.61368/r.s.d.h.v5i4.422
Sala, E., Lopomo, N. F., Tomasi, C., Romagnoli, F., Morotti, A., Apostoli, P., & De Palma, G. (2021). Importance of Work-Related Psychosocial Factors in Exertion Perception Using the Borg Scale Among Workers Subjected to Heavy Physical Work. Frontiers in Public Health, 9, 678827. Documento en línea. Disponible https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.678827
Seguel, F., & Valenzuela, S. (2014). Relación entre la fatiga laboral y el síndrome burnout en personal de enfermería de centros hospitalarios. 11(4), 119-127. Documento en línea. Disponible https://doi.org/10.1016/S1665-7063(14)70923-6 OpenAccess
Sharifi, M., Asadi-Pooya, A. A., & Mousavi-Roknabadi, R. S. (2020). Burnout among Healthcare Providers of COVID-19; a Systematic Review of Epidemiology and Recommendations. Archives of Academic Emergency Medicine, 9(1), e7. Documento en línea. Disponible https://doi.org/10.22037/aaem.v9i1.1004
Shbeer, A., & Ageel, M. (2022). Assessment of Occupational Burnout among Intensive Care Unit Staff in Jazan, Saudi Arabia, Using the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Critical Care Research and Practice, 2022(1), 1298887. Documento en línea. Disponible https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/1298887
Scherr, J., Wolfarth, B., Christle, J.W., Pressler, A., Wagenpfeil, S. y Halle, M. (2013). Asociaciones entre la escala de Borg del esfuerzo percibido y las medidas fisiológicas de la intensidad del ejercicio. Revista Europea de Fisiología Aplicada, 113 (1), 147-155.
Tiggemann, C., Piesta Dias, C., Wolf Schoenell, M., Noll, M., Lima Alberton, C., Silverira Pinto, R., & Martins Kruel, L. (2021). Rating of Perceived Exertion as a Method to Determine Training Loads in Strength Training in Elderly Women: A Randomized Controlled Study. 18, 7892. Documento en línea. Disponible https://doi.org/ttps://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18157892
Tobase, L., Peres, H. H. C., Polastri, T. F., Cardoso, S. H., Souza, D. R., Almeida, D. G., & Timerman, S. (2023). The Use of the Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion Scale in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. Arquivos Brasileiros De Cardiologia, 120(1), e20220240. Documento en línea. Disponible https://doi.org/10.36660/abc.20220240
Ulup?nar, F & Karasu, K. (2024). Postshift Hand Fatigue in Emergency Service Nurses—ProQuest. 2024, 9. Documento en línea. Disponible https://doi.org/10.1155/2024/8835383