Relationship Between Nurse Burnout and Nurses’ Perceptual Evaluation of the Quality of Patient Care in Outpatient Departments of Federal Teaching Hospital Lokoja, Kogi State

Abstract

Purpose: This study assessed nurses’ knowledge of burnout, examined the relationship between burnout and perceived patient care quality, and determined the association between coping strategies and patient care quality in the Outpatient Departments of the Federal Teaching Hospital Lokoja, Kogi State.
Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was adopted. Using Taro Yamane’s formula, a sample size of 160 nurses was derived from a population of 268, while 150 registered nurses with at least six months of outpatient experience participated. Data were collected using a validated structured questionnaire (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.78) and analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests at p < 0.05.
Results: Findings showed that respondents had good knowledge of burnout (49.3%). Major contributors included long working hours (Mean = 3.67 ± 0.68), manpower shortage (Mean = 3.50 ± 0.81), and working with inexperienced staff. Burnout was perceived to negatively affect patient care through errors of omission and malpractice, medication errors, and aggression or conflict. Rest-based coping strategies were most commonly adopted. A significant association existed between effective coping strategies and good patient care quality [χ²(1, N = 150) = 10.82, p = 0.001, Cramér’s V = 0.27].
Novelty and Contribution: The study contributes to existing knowledge by providing empirical evidence on how burnout and coping mechanisms influence patient care quality in an outpatient healthcare setting.
Social and Practical Implications: The findings highlight the need for systematic burnout screening, tailored coping interventions, improved staffing, and stronger nurse–manager collaboration to enhance nurse wellbeing, patient safety, and healthcare outcomes.