Burnout Among Rural Nurses in Africa: A Scoping Review Protocol.

African rural nurses face challenging work environments with inadequate managerial support, limited social support, and interpersonal conflicts. Burnout is a serious occupational hazard that is a public health threat to the nursing workforce due to its associated mental health consequences related to compromised capacity to provide comprehensive client care, staff turnover and reduced job satisfaction. Burnout is a reaction to prolonged stress that arises from job requirements and occupational hazards that surpass a nurse’s knowledge, skills, and abilities. It often involves three dimensions: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment. While there is ample information on burnout among nurses in well-resourced, high-income countries, more needs to be known about burnout among rural African nurses, as it is a growing concern among African researchers and nursing organizations. African nurses face unique challenges due to Africa's larger share of the global disease burden. Objective: A scoping review is warranted to map out and synthesize the breadth and quality of knowledge on burnout among rural African nurses. The following research questions guide the review: (1) What are the factors that cause burnout among African rural nurses? (2) What are the dimensions or profiles of burnout for African rural nurses? (3) What are the outcomes of burnout for rural nurses in Africa? Methods: Arksey and O'Malley’s approach will guide this scoping review. Relevance: The findings can influence policy decisions to significantly improve administration practices, educational reforms, and professional development initiatives to mitigate burnout. This study will inform leadership planning strategies to create a healthier work environment, research agendas and facilitate knowledge translation into practice. This protocol was drafted using the Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) (Arksey & O’Malley, 2005 & McGowan et al., 2020).