Burnout and areas of work-life among anaesthetists in South Africa. Part 1: Burnout

Background: Burnout is a psychological syndrome that develops in response to chronic job-related stressors. Its three predominant manifestations are emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and feelings of ineffectiveness and unfulfillment (low efficacy). Our study objectives were to establish the prevalence and severity of burnout among South African anaesthetists and to compare the results with previous studies. We also identified areas of work-life that predispose to burnout and we report these results in a separate paper (Part 2).1 Methods: We e-mailed invitations to 1 852 SASA members, requesting responses to two validated questionnaires, the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Areas of Worklife Scale. We categorised respondents according to the “Emotional Exhaustion+1” principle, whereby a person is regarded as being clinically burned-out if he/she has a a high score for emotional exhaustion, plus either a high cynicism score or a low efficacy score. High scores for all three dimensions defined “extreme burnout”. Results: 189 public sector and 309 private sector anaesthetists responded. 85% of public sector respondents worked in academic hospitals. Compared to those in private practice, public sector anaesthetists exhibited a greater prevalence and severity of burnout. This was manifested by: (1) more adverse scores for all three burnout dimensions; (2) a greater prevalence of clinically diagnosable burnout (36.5% vs. 14.2%) as well as “extreme burnout” (17.5% vs. 6.5%). Public sector anaesthetists experienced more burnout than in other countries. Conclusions: The prevalence of burnout is unacceptably high among South African anaesthesia providers, particularly in public hospitals. This poses an immediate threat to both anaesthetists’ mental and physical health and to patient safety. The severity and prevalence in teaching institutions jeopardises the current effectiveness and future sustainability of the South African healthcare system.

SLAUGYTOJŲ PROFESINIO PERDEGIMO IR JĮ LEMIANČIŲ VEIKSNIŲ SĄSAJOS

Sveikatos priežiūros darbuotojų didelė fizinė ir psichologinė įtampa didina profesinio perdegimo riziką. Lietuvoje daugėja pranešimų apie sveikatos priežiūros darbuotojų, ypač slaugytojų, emocinį išsekimą, abejingumą slaugomiems pacientams. Darbo tikslas – nustatyti slaugytojų profesinio perdegimo ir jį lemiančių veiksnių sąsajas. Atliktas kiekybinis tyrimas, naudojant MBI (angl. Maslach burnout inventory) ir AWS (angl. Areas of worklife survey) kintamųjų skales. Gauti tyrimo rezultatai parodė, kad trečdaliui tyrime dalyvavusių slaugytojų būdingas aukšto lygio emocinis išsekimas bei asmeninių pasiekimų (produktyvumo) sumažėjimas. Profesinio perdegimo komponentai buvo susiję sociodemografiniais ir darbo aplinkos veiksniais.

Psychosocial areas of worklife and chronic low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background The aim of this review was to synthesize the evidence on the potential relationship between psychosocial work factors from the Areas of Worklife (AW) model (workload, job control, social support, reward, fairness, and values) and chronic low back pain (CLBP; unspecific pain in the lumbar region lasting 3 months or longer). Methods We conducted a systematic literature search of studies in Medline, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and CINAHL (1987 to 2018). Three authors independently assessed eligibility and quality of studies. In this meta-analysis, we pooled studies’ effect sizes using a random-effects model approach and report sample size weighted mean Odds Ratios (ORs). Results Data from 18 studies (N = 19,572) was included in the analyses. We found no studies investigating associations between fairness or values and CLBP. CLBP was significantly positively related to workload (OR = 1.32) and significantly negatively related to overall job control (OR = 0.81), decision authority (OR = 0.72), and two measures of social support (ORs = 0.75 to 0.78), even in prospective studies. Skill discretion and reward did not significantly relate to CLBP. Moderation analyses revealed several variables (e.g., exposure time, mean age and sex) affecting these relationships. Conclusions Our results support employees’ workload, job control, and social support as predictors of CLBP. In this line, these work factors should be considered when developing programs to prevent chronic low back pain. Future studies should apply measures of CLBP that are more precise, and investigate the full areas of work life (AW) factors in combination.

Use of the Worklife and Levels of Burnout Surveys to Assess the School Nurse Work Environment

Previous research regarding burnout in acute care settings revealed that positive work environments increase job satisfaction, decrease staff turnover, and improve patient outcomes. However, few studies address burnout among school nurses. The purpose of this study was to describe the relationship between the school nurse practice environment, school nurses’ levels of burnout, and perceived sources of work stress. A cross-sectional sample of 100 registered nurses completed a web-based version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory and Areas of Worklife Survey. Identified stressors were entered into regression models to determine associations with levels of burnout. Burnout is significantly associated with all Areas of Worklife subscales. School nurses who reported satisfactory work environments experienced little to no burnout. This study provides insights into the domains of work that can cause burnout among school nurses and provides evidence that can inform school leadership and policy makers on ways to promote healthy work environments.

Linking workplace burnout theories to the project management discipline

Purpose Given the demanding and stressful nature of project work, with a view to explore established concepts of burnout within the project management context, the purpose of this paper is to examine two instruments: the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and the Areas of Worklife Survey (AWS). Since there is a paucity of literature in project management anchored within the MBI and the Areas of Worklife Survey (AWS), this paper proposes a high-level model on burnout in project management, drawing on the literature underlying these two instruments. Design/methodology/approach Using a conceptual approach, the paper reviews the social psychology literature on burnout and then the narrow stream of literature on burnout in project management. The paper develops and proposes a conceptual model as a foundation to explore the links between the determinants of project manager burnout/engagement and turnover/retention. Findings This paper contributes to an improved understanding of the determinants of project manager burnout, engagement, turnover, and retention. Practical implications The driver for this research is to contribute to the emerging literature on burnout in project management and strategies to help improve engagement and retention of project managers in the discipline – specifically, their tenure in organizations and/or the profession. Originality/value This paper contributes to the topic of burnout in the project management context. An improved understanding of the stressors in project management contexts, and the mechanisms to mitigate the stress, can add to our understanding of project manager well-being, engagement and retention, improved project success, and healthier work environments.

Employee Engagement and Areas of Worklife of Call Center Agents in the Philippines

This study described the level of work engagement and areas of worklife of 294 call center agents in Ortigas, Pasig City, Philippines. It also investigated the relationship between work engagement and areas of worklife when grouped according to gender, age, tenure at present job and course. In addition, it also explored the differences in the perception of the call center agents when grouped according to the demographic profile. Gamma correlation was carried out to check if correlation exists between the variables of work engagement and variables of areas of worklife. Mood’s median test was conducted to test the differences in the level of engagement and areas of worklife when grouped according to demographic profiles. Results of work engagement showed that those who were aged 31-35 and those who stayed for less than a year in the organization had a high level of dedication. Commerce or Business graduates had a high level of absorption. Results of the areas of worklife showed that majority of the respondents when grouped according to their demographic profile had a match with the variables of fairness, control, values, workload, and community except for the age group of 36 and above who had a mismatch for the variable control. No relationship existed between work engagement and the areas of worklife. Male call center agents are perceived to be more energetic, dedicated and absorbed than female call center agents. Lastly, the areas of control and fairness were reported to differ across all demographic profile of gender, age, tenure at the present job and course.