Correlates of professional burnout in a sample of employees of cell and tissue banks in Poland.

Abstract

Job Demands-Resources model proposes that the development of burnout follows excessive job demands and lack of job resources. Job demands are predictive of feeling of exhaustion, and lack of job resources-disengagement from work. This pilot study investigated professional burnout and its correlates in employees of Polish cell and tissue banks, many of whom were involved in procurement and processing of tissues from deceased donors, as it was hypothesized that job burnout in this population might influence the effectiveness of cell and tissue transplantation network in our country. This study utilized the Polish version of the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI), which measures the two dimensions of burnout (exhaustion and disengagement), and the Psychosocial Working Conditions Questionnaire (PWC), a Polish instrument used for monitoring psychosocial stress at work. The study sample consisted of 31 participants. Their average time of working in a cell and tissue bank was 13.20years. Majority of the PWC scales and subscales scores fell in the Average range, and the OLBI results for the Disengagement and the Exhaustion scales were in the Average range. A number of correlations between the Exhaustion or Disengagement and the PWC scales and subscales were detected, majority of which fell in the Moderate range. In spite of the limited number of participants, the results of this pilot study are consistent with the burnout literature reports. Among the detected correlates of professional burnout, it is job-related support which seems to be the most important factor which may influence the efficacy of transplantation network in Poland.