[Professional fatigue: empirical study with hospital nurses].

This is a empirical approach about professional fatigue of the hospital nurse. The fatigue concept was based on the Burnout Syndrome and some hospital variables associated. The sample consisted of 341 nurses of whom demographic data is available. Results of the application of the psychometric analysis of Burnout Inventory, as well as statistic correlation between the three scales and demographic data are presented. Considerable presence of emotional exhaustion and cognitive weariness as a consequence of the working atmosphere in the hospital critical sectors and the nursing chief responsibility were found.