A Preliminary Study: Neurological, Immunological, and Endocrine Aspects of Healthcare Workers without Burnout Syndrome

Abstract

Summary: Healthcare workers are vulnerable to stress and burnout, which can affect the Hypothalamus-Hypophysis Axis (HHA) pathway. This pathway can involve psychological, neurological, immunological, and endocrine aspects. These can be evaluated using the Maslach Burnout Inventory Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS), a heart rate variability tool, laboratory tests using salivary immunoglobulin-A (sIg-A), T-cell regulator (TC), endorphins, and salivary cortisol (SC) levels.

Purpose: This study aimed to describe the neurological, immunological, and endocrine aspects of healthcare workers without burnout syndrome

Methods: A quantitative descriptive study was conducted to describe the psychological, neurological, immunological, and endocrine aspects of healthcare workers. Purposive sampling was used.

Findings: Sixty-two participants took the MBI-HSS, and 30 participants without burnout were selected. There were 28 nurses, with an average age of 28 years old. About 93,3% of the participants were female, 80% worked at the emergency department, and 60% had over three years of working experience. From HRV test results, 14 participants were within the normal range (50-100 ms). The average -endorphine serum level is 481,93 pg/ml. Around 60% of participants showed normal SC levels, and 40% showed low SC levels (mean 5,72 ng/ml). Around 90% showed normal sIg-A and 10% high sIg-A levels (mean 501,6 g/ml). The average TC was 23% CD4, with 8,1% CD25 and 6,4% CD127.

Conclusion: This study found that average healthcare workers showed normal HRV, endorphins, SC, sIg-A, and T cell regulators, representing neurological, immunological, and endocrine aspects. Therefore, further study is needed to determine the impact of burnout syndrome on these aspects.