Associations of health care staff burnout with negative health and organizational outcomes in the U.S. military health system

Abstract

RationaleBurnout is a personal and occupational phenomenon that has been associated with negative physical and psychological outcomes in medical staff. Additionally, there are implications for healthcare organizations, as those staff who are burned out are more likely to have lower productivity or leave the organization. As with the Covid-19 pandemic, future national emergencies and potentially large-scale conflicts will require similar and likely even larger scale responses from the U.S. Military Health System, thus it is important to understand burnout in this population so that the readiness of the staff and the military can remain at a high level. ObjectiveThis assessment was designed to examine levels of burnout among United States Military Health System (MHS) staff working at Army installations and the factors that influence the development of burnout. MethodsAnonymous data was collected from 13,558 active-duty U.S. Soldiers and civilian MHS employees. Burnout was measured using the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory and the Mini-Z. ResultsResults showed nearly half of staff who responded (48%) reported being burned out, an increase since last measured in 2019 (31%). Factors related to increased burnout included concerns about work/life balance and workload, low job satisfaction and feeling disconnected from others. Burnout was associated with increases in adverse physical and behavioral health (BH) outcomes. ConclusionsResults indicate that burnout is a common problem across MHS Army staff and is related to significant adverse health consequences for the individual and reduced retention of staff for the organization. These findings highlight the need to address burnout through policies that standardize health care delivery policies and practices, providing support to leadership to promote a healthy workplace, and individual support to those who experience burnout.