Mental Workload and Burnout Among Emergency Department Nurses in the Era of Digitalization of Health Services

Lukmanulhakim; Herna Alifiani; Makbul Segata

doi:10.25077/njk.v22i2.552

Authors

Lukmanulhakim Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitas Faletehan, Serang, Banten, Indonesia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0078-6870
Herna Alifiani Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitas Faletehan, Serang, Banten, Indonesia
Makbul Segata Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitas Faletehan, Serang, Banten, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25077/njk.v22i2.552

Keywords:

Burnout, Health Service Digitalization, Mental Workload, NASA-TLX, Nurses

Abstract

Emergency Department (ED) nurses work in a fast-paced environment that requires rapid clinical decisions, frequent task switching, and sustained attention. These demands may increase mental workload and contribute to burnout. This study examined the association between mental workload and burnout among ED nurses at Cilegon City Regional General Hospital in 2026. A quantitative, descriptive-correlational study with a cross-sectional design included all 32 nurses working in the ED (total sampling). Mental workload was assessed using the NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX), and burnout was assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). Both measures were categorized using study-specific cutoffs, and the association was examined using the Chi-Square test with continuity correction. The univariate results showed that most respondents had high mental workload (53.1%) and high burnout (56.3%). A statistically significant association was observed (p = 0.036). Because the study involved a small, single-hospital population and used cross-sectional data, the findings should be interpreted cautiously and cannot establish causation or be generalized to other settings. The findings highlight the need to assess and reduce sources of mental workload and strengthen psychological support for ED nurses.

References

Alobayli, F., O’Connor, S., Holloway, A., & Cresswell, K. (2023). Electronic Health Record Stress and Burnout Among Clinicians in Hospital Settings: A Review. Digital Health, 9. https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076231220241.

Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2017). Job demands–resources theory: Taking stock and looking forward. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 22(3), 273–285. https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000056.

Butera, S., Brasseur, N., Filion, N., Bruyneel, A., & Smith, P. (2021). Prevalence and Associated Factors of Burnout Risk Among Intensive Care and Emergency Nurses Before and During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study in Belgium. Journal of Emergency Nursing, 47(6), 879–891. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jen.2021.08.007.

Capili, B. (2021). Cross-sectional studies. American Journal of Nursing, 121(10), 59–62. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NAJ.0000794280.73744.fe.

Hao, X., Dai, Y., Jia, S., Liu, S., Zhao, C., & Liu, X. (2025). Latent profile analysis of mental workload among emergency department nurses: a cross-sectional study. BMC Nursing, 24(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-025-02976-3.

Hart, S. G., & Staveland, L. E. (1988). Development of NASA-TLX (Task Load Index): Results of Empirical and Theoretical Research. In P. A. Hancock & N. Meshkati (Eds.), Human Mental Work (pp. 239–250). Elsevier.

Hastono, S. P. (2018). Analisis Data pada Bidang Kesehatan. (1st ed., Vol. 3). PT Raja Grafindo Persada, Depok.

Kremer, L., Lipprandt, M., Röhrig, R., & Breil, B. (2022). Examining Mental Workload Relating to Digital Health Technologies in Health Care: Systematic Review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 24(10). https://doi.org/10.2196/40946.

Maslach, C., & Jackson, S. E. (1981). The measurement of experienced burnout. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 2(2), 99–113. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.4030020205.

Nurrianti, R., Ujetika, N. S., & Imran, R. A. (2019). Perbandingan Analisis Pengukuran Beban Kerja Psikologis pada Perawat Menggunakan Metode NASA-TLX dan RSME. Seminar Nasional Teknik Industri 2019, 33–41.

Pameria, A., Pradika, J., Erwhani, I., Amelyadi, A., Dwi Ariani, D., Amrullah, S., Pratama, K., & Ridlo Ronas, M. (2025). Beban Kerja Dan Burnout Pada Perawat Di Instalasi Gawat Darurat. Jurnal Riset Keperawatan dan Kesehatan, 2(2), 74–81. https://doi.org/10.71203/jrkk.v2i2.29.

Permatasari, L., Safitri, W., & Suryandari, D. (2023). Hubungan beban kerja mental dengan burnout perawat di ruang IGD Rumah Sakit UNS. Avicenna: Journal of Health Research, 6(1), 81–92. https://doi.org/10.36419/avicenna.v6i1.826.

Shan, Y., Shang, J., Yan, Y., & Ye, X. (2023). Workflow interruption and nurses’ mental workload in electronic health record tasks: An observational study. BMC Nursing, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-023-01209-9.

Surendran, A., Beccaria, L., Rees, S., & Mcilveen, P. (2024). Cognitive mental workload of emergency nursing: A scoping review. Nursing Open, 11(2), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.2111.

Wang, X., & Cheng, Z. (2020). Cross-sectional studies: Strengths, weaknesses, and recommendations. Chest, 158(1S), S65–S71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chest.2020.03.012.