Analysis of the Sense of Occupational Stress and Burnout Syndrome among Working Physiotherapists-A Pilot Study.

Abstract

Background and Objectives: As medical service employees, physiotherapists are prone to suffer from job-related stress and are at great risk of experiencing occupational burnout. Therefore, the aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the level of generalized stress, occupational burnout syndrome and occupational stress in a group of professionally active physiotherapists and to answer the question: which psychosocial and physical factors (work characteristics) present at the given workplace were perceived as the most stress-inducing in the study group and in various subgroups? Materials and Methods: This study included 70 physiotherapists, mean age 40.1 ± 11.6, employed in sanatoria and outpatient clinics. An authorial survey, the Subjective Assessment Work Questionnaire, the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory, the Perceived Stress Scale, and the Inventory to Measure Coping Strategies with Stress Mini-COPE were used. Results: The study group of physiotherapists was characterized by a moderate level of stress, a high level of occupational stress and a moderate level of occupational burnout. The most common stressors reported by the participants included the lack of rewards at work, the sense of uncertainty resulting from workplace organization, the sense of threat, social interaction, and the lack of control. Conclusions: The knowledge of the level of occupational stress among health care professionals (including physiotherapists) and, most importantly, the assessment of stress-inducing psychosocial and physical factors present at the given workplace may prove useful while designing a prevention and health protection strategy.