Burnout, professional quality of life, andworplace stressors in intensivists in australia and new zealand

Abstract

Introduction: Burnout is one of several interrelated concepts that influence doctor wellbeing. The health and wellbeing of doctors has a significant impact on the quality of the healthcare they provide. It has been proposed that burnout is one of the links between organisational culture and quality of care. Objectives/Aims: To investigate (1) the degree and prevalence of burnout in intensivists working in Australia and New Zealand; and (2) workplace stressors associated with an increased risk of self-reported burnout. Methods: Australian and New Zealand (ANZ) intensivists were invited to participate in an online survey. The Professional Quality of Life scale, version 5 (ProQOL-5) was used to measure (1) compassion satisfaction, (2) burnout and (3) secondary traumatic stress. Several a priori defined socio-organisational factors designed to assess (1) interpersonal interactions and workplace relationships, (2) leadership and governance, and (3) selfdetermination and control, all of which have previously been associated with workplace stress and burnout, were also measured. Finally, we conducted thematic analysis on intensivists' perspectives on workplace stressors. Results: Very few participants (0.8%) demonstrated high scores (>75th centile) for burnout and 70.9% scored in the average range for burnout. 98.1% participants scored in the average to high range for compassion satisfaction. No association was found between gender, age, or years of practice with level of burnout or compassion satisfaction. Seven major themes for intensivists' work stressors were: (1) interpersonal interactions and workplace relationships; (2) workload and its impact; (3) resources and capacity; (4) health systems leadership and bureaucracy; (5) end-of-life issues and moral distress; (6) clinical management; and (7) job security and future uncertainty. Conclusion(s): Known socio-organisational factors associated with work-related stress and burnout were common in ANZ intensivists. Despite this, fewer ANZ intensivists experienced a high degree of burnout than has previously been estimated. Identified themes may form the basis of future interventions.L6342803042021-03-02 <br />