Burnout in emergency department staff: The prevalence and barriers to intervention
Background: Burnout impacts patient care and staff well-being. Emergency department (ED) staff are at an elevated risk for burnout. Despite an acceleration in burnout research due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, there is limited data on the nature and prevalence of burnout in th...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
AOSIS
2023-10-01
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| Series: | South African Journal of Psychiatry |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://sajp.org.za/index.php/sajp/article/view/2095 |
| _version_ | 1797641287621410816 |
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| author | Reshen Naidoo Renata Schoeman |
| author_facet | Reshen Naidoo Renata Schoeman |
| author_sort | Reshen Naidoo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Burnout impacts patient care and staff well-being. Emergency department (ED) staff are at an elevated risk for burnout. Despite an acceleration in burnout research due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, there is limited data on the nature and prevalence of burnout in the South African emergency medicine setting.
Aim: This study determined the prevalence of burnout in ED staff (doctors, nurses and non-clinical staff) at Tygerberg Hospital and explored staff awareness and utilisation of interventions.
Setting: The study was conducted at Tygerberg Hospital, South Africa.
Methods: This cross-sectional study used the Maslach Burnout Inventory to assess burnout via a self-administered electronic survey in a convenience sample of 109 ED staff. Quantitative data were analysed with descriptive and inferential statistics. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis.
Results: A total of 46 participants (45.10%) experienced burnout, with 73 participants (71.57%) at high risk for emotional exhaustion or depersonalisation. The prevalence of burnout in doctors was 57.89%, non-clinical staff was 25.93%, and nursing staff was 50.00%. Burnout was higher in doctors and nursing staff compared to non-clinical staff, with high emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation found in interns and specialist professional nurses. The level of intervention awareness was 41.8% and the level of intervention utilisation was 8.82%. Thematic analysis identified awareness, accessibility and reactive utilisation as barriers to utilisation with opportunities to reduce burnout and enhance resilience.
Conclusion: Coordinated health system and organisational efforts are required to optimise intervention strategies to reduce burnout.
Contribution: Guidance on the design and planning of intervention strategies considering at risk groups, intervention-related factors, and non-clinical staff. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T13:43:25Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8c70ee5a688541c88d0b8e94a625612a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1608-9685 2078-6786 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T13:43:25Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | AOSIS |
| record_format | Article |
| series | South African Journal of Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj.art-8c70ee5a688541c88d0b8e94a625612a2023-11-02T11:07:33ZengAOSISSouth African Journal of Psychiatry1608-96852078-67862023-10-01290e1e1110.4102/sajpsychiatry.v29i0.2095670Burnout in emergency department staff: The prevalence and barriers to interventionReshen Naidoo0Renata Schoeman1Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences, Stellenbosch Business School, Cape TownFaculty of Economics and Management Sciences, Stellenbosch Business School, Cape TownBackground: Burnout impacts patient care and staff well-being. Emergency department (ED) staff are at an elevated risk for burnout. Despite an acceleration in burnout research due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, there is limited data on the nature and prevalence of burnout in the South African emergency medicine setting. Aim: This study determined the prevalence of burnout in ED staff (doctors, nurses and non-clinical staff) at Tygerberg Hospital and explored staff awareness and utilisation of interventions. Setting: The study was conducted at Tygerberg Hospital, South Africa. Methods: This cross-sectional study used the Maslach Burnout Inventory to assess burnout via a self-administered electronic survey in a convenience sample of 109 ED staff. Quantitative data were analysed with descriptive and inferential statistics. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results: A total of 46 participants (45.10%) experienced burnout, with 73 participants (71.57%) at high risk for emotional exhaustion or depersonalisation. The prevalence of burnout in doctors was 57.89%, non-clinical staff was 25.93%, and nursing staff was 50.00%. Burnout was higher in doctors and nursing staff compared to non-clinical staff, with high emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation found in interns and specialist professional nurses. The level of intervention awareness was 41.8% and the level of intervention utilisation was 8.82%. Thematic analysis identified awareness, accessibility and reactive utilisation as barriers to utilisation with opportunities to reduce burnout and enhance resilience. Conclusion: Coordinated health system and organisational efforts are required to optimise intervention strategies to reduce burnout. Contribution: Guidance on the design and planning of intervention strategies considering at risk groups, intervention-related factors, and non-clinical staff.https://sajp.org.za/index.php/sajp/article/view/2095burnoutprevalencehealthcarehospitalemergency careinterventiondoctorsnursesnon-clinical |
| spellingShingle | Reshen Naidoo Renata Schoeman Burnout in emergency department staff: The prevalence and barriers to intervention South African Journal of Psychiatry burnout prevalence healthcare hospital emergency care intervention doctors nurses non-clinical |
| title | Burnout in emergency department staff: The prevalence and barriers to intervention |
| title_full | Burnout in emergency department staff: The prevalence and barriers to intervention |
| title_fullStr | Burnout in emergency department staff: The prevalence and barriers to intervention |
| title_full_unstemmed | Burnout in emergency department staff: The prevalence and barriers to intervention |
| title_short | Burnout in emergency department staff: The prevalence and barriers to intervention |
| title_sort | burnout in emergency department staff the prevalence and barriers to intervention |
| topic | burnout prevalence healthcare hospital emergency care intervention doctors nurses non-clinical |
| url | https://sajp.org.za/index.php/sajp/article/view/2095 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT reshennaidoo burnoutinemergencydepartmentstafftheprevalenceandbarrierstointervention AT renataschoeman burnoutinemergencydepartmentstafftheprevalenceandbarrierstointervention |