Is caseload midwifery a healthy work-form? – A survey of burnout among midwives in Denmark

Abstract

ObjectiveTo investigate the level of burnout among midwives working in caseloading practices compared to other models of midwifery care. Study design and settingIn this survey the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory was used to measure burnout among midwives working in a tertiary maternity unit Denmark. Main outcome measuresMean burnout scores and the proportion of midwives with high burnout scores (a score >= 50). ResultsThe response rate was 82.0% as 50 out of 61 midwives answered the questionnaire. In caseload midwifery the burnout scores in personal, work-related and client-related burnout were significantly lower when compared to “other models of care”. Among caseloading midwives, none had high scores of burnout in any of the measured domains. The proportions of high burnout scores among all of the participating midwives were 22% (95% CI: 12%–36%) in personal burnout, 20% (95% CI: 11%–34%) had high scores in work-related burnout, and 10% (95% CI: 4%–22%) had high scores in clientrelated burnout. ConclusionCaseload midwifery was associated with lower burnout scores, which is in accordance with the results from other studies on burnout among caseloading midwives. The proportion of high score among all the midwives in this study were low compared to results from other countries. According to the high response rate the results are valid for this maternity unit but this study is too small to be generalised. This study should be repeated among all midwives in Denmark. In studies of burnout in caseload midwifery the midwives’ self-selection into this workform needs consideration.