Burnout In Healthcare Professionals Research Articles

Social Support Mediates the Effect of Burnout on Health in Health Care Professionals.

Burnout is characterized by emotional exhaustion and caused by exposure to excessive and prolonged stress related to job conditions. Moreover, burnout is highly prevalent among health care professionals. The aim of this study is, first, to examine the mediating role of social support over the effect of burnout in health care professionals and, second, to explore potential gender differences. A convenience sample of 1,035 health professionals from Ecuador, including 608 physicians and 427 nurses (68% women, with and age M = 40 + 9 years old), was surveyed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), Social Support Survey (MOS), and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) as measures of burnout, social support, and general health, respectively. Social support was found to mediate the negative effects of burnout on health regardless of gender. Differences across the three dimensions of burnout and health are further discussed, along with their implications for designing effective burnout interventions for health care professionals in Ecuador.

Burnout among Primary Care Providers and Staff: Evaluating the Association with Practice Adaptive Reserve and Individual Behaviors.

Workplace burnout among healthcare professionals is a critical public health concern. Few studies have examined organizational and individual factors associated with burnout across healthcare professional groups. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between practice adaptive reserve (PAR) and individual behavioural response to change and burnout among healthcare professionals in primary care. This cross-sectional study used survey data from 154 primary care practices participating in the EvidenceNOW Heart of Virginia Healthcare initiative. We analysed data from 1279 healthcare professionals in Virginia. Our sample included physicians, advanced practice clinicians, clinical support staff and administrative staff. We used the PAR instrument to measure organizational capacity for change and the Change Diagnostic Index© (CDI) to measure individual behavioural response, which achieved a 76% response rate. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the effects of PAR and CDI on burnout. As organizational capacity for change increased, burnout in healthcare professionals decreased by 51% (OR: 0.49; 95% CI, 0.33, 0.73). As healthcare professionals showed improved response toward change, burnout decreased by 84% (OR: 0.16; 95% CI, 0.11, 0.23). Analysis by healthcare professional type revealed a significant association between high organizational capacity for change, positive response to change and low burnout among administrative staff (OR: 2.92; 95% CI, 1.37, 6.24). Increased hours of work per week was associated with higher odds of burnout (OR: 1.07; 95% CI, 1.05, 1.10) across healthcare professional groups. As transformation efforts in primary care continue, it is critical to understand the influence of these initiatives on healthcare professionals' well-being. Efforts to reduce burnout among healthcare professionals are needed at both a system and organizational level. Building organizational capacity for change, supporting providers and staff during major change and consideration of individual workload may reduce levels of burnout.

Burnout in Healthcare Professionals During the Covid-19 Pandemic in a Tertiary Care University Hospital: Evaluation of the Need for Psychological Support.

Anxiety, stress and burnout are observed in healthcare workers during the Covid-19 pandemic. This study aimed to determine the levels of anxiety and burnout and related risk factors in the healthcare workers and assistant personnel at a tertiary referral university hospital. Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS), Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and a sociodemographic questionnaire were delivered on-line to all employees of our hospital. 683 individuals were to the study who completed and returned the forms between April 15-30, 2020. Stress, depression and anxiety levels were significantly higher in nurses. Emotional burnout and depersonalization symptoms were higher and personal accomplishment scores were lower in resident physicians and nurses in comparison to the other groups. Being single, having a child and living away from home were factors underlying the burnout severity. Frontline work in the Covid-19 clinics did not affect the levels of anxiety, stress and depression. On the basis of the cut off points of the HADS scores; anxiety disorder (OR: 7.19) and depression (OR 3.43) were the most relevant risk factors for emotional exhaustion. Anxiety disorder was also the main risk factor for depersonalization. Depersonalization was 2.7-fold more among the nurses complaining of being overworked. Social support from the work environment and the family was protective against depersonalization. Covid-19 pandemic has adversely affected the wellbeing of healthcare workers. The presence of depression and anxiety increased the risk of burnout. Social support can be expected to protect against burnout. It is, therefore, of great importance to implement urgently effective psychosocial and organizational interventions in order to protect the mental health of healthcare workers and to prevent burnout.

Burning issue in healthcare: Burnout among nurses in a tertiary care hospital

Burnout at work develops as consequence of prolonged stress which causes exhaustion of physical or emotional strength or motivation. Concepts of burnout and stress has been the researchers focus for several years. These concepts are extremely important to the employees in other industries and nursing in specific. Little research has investigated regarding burnout in healthcare professionals. The study aimed to assess burnout level among nurses in a tertiary care hospital and to compare the level of burnout among nurses working in different departments.Maslach Burnout Inventory- Survey tool was used to measure burnout among nurses from various wards.Nurses showed moderate levels of Emotional Exhaustion, higher levels of Depersonalization and personal Accomplishment. Married nurses with more personal responsibilities experienced higher levels of Emotional Exhaustion and unmarried nurses showed high levels of depersonalization.The findings suggest that burnout is an important problem for nurses. Indian nurses show different patterns of burnout from nurses working in developed countries, this can be due to cultural and work environment differences.It is essential to address life-work balance, coping mechanism and stress management to reduce the burden of burnout.

COVID-19 Outbreak Can Change the Job Burnout in Health Care Professionals.

Background: The outbreak of COVID-19 in China was a sudden bio-disaster, which may bring a negative impact on the job burnout of health care professionals (HCPs).Objective: We aim to find out the association factors, especially those closely related to this outbreak, of job burnout in Chinese HCPs.Method: The cross-sectional survey about HCPs' job burnout based on a network platform was conducted in high and low infection regions during the COVID-19 outbreak in China. The demographic characteristics, medical-work-related factors, risk of getting infected due to occupational exposure, and family factors were collected by the self-reported questionnaire. The Chinese version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (CMBI) and the Trait Coping Style Questionnaire (TCSQ) were employed in this study to evaluate the job burnout and coping style, respectively. Furthermore, statistical analysis was done to find out the associated factors of job burnout.Results: We collected 880 complete questionnaires from doctors and nurses from February 9, 2020 to February 11, 2020. In this study, the positive rates of three dimensions of burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment) and overall burnout were 9.09, 50.57, 56.59, and 73.98%, respectively. After the statistical analysis, we found that several factors can independently affect the dimensions. Working in the high infection region and negative coping styles can affect all three dimensions at once. More night shift quantity and having symptoms could increase emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, while higher work intensity and senior title could increase emotional exhaustion and reduce personal accomplishment, respectively.Conclusion: The rate of moderate and severe burnout had increased due to the outbreak. More attention should be paid to burnout in HCPs, especially those with negative coping. There were some potential ways to reduce burnout, such as reducing their workload and providing better protection from the virus.

Association of Occupational Burnout and Nursing Errors With Patient Safety

During the daily nursing practice, dangerous situations might appear that, if not recognized and treated early, can lead to fatigue and professional burnout, causing detrimental consequences for the patient's safety and the adequacy of the healthcare quality of the provider. This article aims to synthesize existing research investigating the association between burnout in healthcare professionals with the safety of patient care in the last decade. The authors herein examined specific nurse surveys that involve burnout assessment and association with clinical errors throughout nurse provided care. Results from this search indicate that patient safety culture must be cultivated towards nursing errors and burnout reduction. The prompt recognition of burnout signs is the critical parameter for nursing errors prevention and patient safety, in the long term. Nursing error management is oriented towards investigation of the burnout symptoms and exists as an integral and essential issue for nursing administration to ensure excellent and qualitative patient care.

Factors contributing to healthcare professional burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic: A rapid turnaround global survey.

Healthcare professionals (HCPs) on the front lines against COVID-19 may face increased workload and stress. Understanding HCPs' risk for burnout is critical to supporting HCPs and maintaining the quality of healthcare during the pandemic. To assess exposure, perceptions, workload, and possible burnout of HCPs during the COVID-19 pandemic we conducted a cross-sectional survey. The main outcomes and measures were HCPs' self-assessment of burnout, indicated by a single item measure of emotional exhaustion, and other experiences and attitudes associated with working during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 2,707 HCPs from 60 countries participated in this study. Fifty-one percent of HCPs reported burnout. Burnout was associated with work impacting household activities (RR = 1·57, 95% CI = 1·39-1·78, P<0·001), feeling pushed beyond training (RR = 1·32, 95% CI = 1·20-1·47, P<0·001), exposure to COVID-19 patients (RR = 1·18, 95% CI = 1·05-1·32, P = 0·005), and making life prioritizing decisions (RR = 1·16, 95% CI = 1·02-1·31, P = 0·03). Adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) was protective against burnout (RR = 0·88, 95% CI = 0·79-0·97, P = 0·01). Burnout was higher in high-income countries (HICs) compared to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) (RR = 1·18; 95% CI = 1·02-1·36, P = 0·018). Burnout is present at higher than previously reported rates among HCPs working during the COVID-19 pandemic and is related to high workload, job stress, and time pressure, and limited organizational support. Current and future burnout among HCPs could be mitigated by actions from healthcare institutions and other governmental and non-governmental stakeholders aimed at potentially modifiable factors, including providing additional training, organizational support, and support for family, PPE, and mental health resources.

Hospice Employees' Perceptions of Their Work Environment: A Focus Group Perspective.

Burnout in healthcare professionals can lead to adverse effects on physical and mental health, lower quality of care, and workforce shortages as employees leave the profession. Hospice professionals are thought to be at particularly high risk for burnout. The purpose of the study was to evaluate workplace perceptions of interdisciplinary hospice care workers who provide care to patients at end of life. Six focus groups and one semi-structured interview were conducted with mixed group of social workers, managers, nurses, hospice aides, chaplains, support staff, and a physician (n = 19). Findings from the groups depicted both rewards and challenges of hospice caregiving. Benefits included intrinsic satisfaction from the work, receiving positive patient and family feedback, and teamwork. Challenges reflected issues with workload, technology issues, administrative demands, travel-related problems, communication and interruptions, difficulties with taking time off from work and maintaining work-life integration, and coping with witnessing grief/loss. Hospice workers glean satisfaction from making meaningful differences in the lives of patients with terminal illness and their family members. It is an expected part of the job that certain patients and situations are particularly distressing; team support and targeted grief support is available for those times. Participants indicated that workload and administrative demands rather than dealing with death and dying were the biggest contributors to burnout. Participants reported episodic symptoms of burnout followed by deliberate steps to alleviate these symptoms. Notably, for all except one of the participants, burnout was cyclical. Symptoms would begin, they would take steps to deal with it (e.g., taking a mental health day), and they recovered. At an organizational level, a multipronged approach that includes both personal and occupational strategies is needed to support professional caregivers and help mitigate the stressors associated with hospice work.

Estresse ocupacional e burnout em profissionais de saúde de unidades de perioperatório

Resumo Objetivo Analisar a relacao entre estresse ocupacional e burnout em profissionais de saude de unidades de perioperatorio. Metodos Estudo transversal analitico, desenvolvido com 146 profissionais de saude de unidades de perioperatorio, representantes de diversas categorias. Utilizou-se os instrumentos Job Stress Scale e o Inventario Maslach de Burnout . Para a analise dos dados empregou-se estatistica descritiva e inferencial. Resultados Quanto ao estresse ocupacional, constatou-se que 93(64,5%) profissionais de saude encontravam-se com altas demandas psicologicas e 83(57,3%) estavam com baixo controle sobre o trabalho. Observou-se que 15(10,3%) profissionais apresentaram burnout. Houve associacao estatisticamente significativa entre alta demanda psicologica e alto desgaste emocional (p=0,0001) e, entre alta demanda psicologica e alta despersonalizacao (p=0,007). Evidenciou-se associacao estatisticamente significativa entre presenca de burnout e altas demandas psicologicas (p=0,049). Conclusao Profissionais desgastados emocionalmente e que se afastam dos colegas possuem altas demandas psicologicas. A medida que as demandas psicologicas aumentam, tambem aumentam o desgaste emocional e a despersonalizacao. Por outro lado, quando a demanda psicologica e baixa, o profissional nao esta em burnout .

Addressing Healthcare Professional Burnout: A Quality Improvement Intervention.

Burnout is a substantial phenomenon across healthcare settings, affecting more than half of healthcare professionals and leading to negative patient and health system outcomes. Infusion center professionals (ICPs) are at increased risk of burnout attributed to high patient volume and acuity levels. Strategies to address burnout have been developed and prioritized by the American Medical Association (AMA), the World Health Organization, and other organizations. This quality improvement project aimed to address perceived burnout, job-related stress, and job satisfaction among nurses, physician assistants, and medical assistants at a large pediatric hospital through integration of two infusion center (IC)-based staff engagement interventions. A pre- and post-test study design was used. Existing team huddles in the IC were modified based on the AMA STEPS Forward program recommendations to incorporate appreciative inquiry and recognition into team and department events. Peer recognition was tailored toward institutional core values. The Mini-Z Burnout survey was administered before and 3months after implementation of both interventions. Pre- to post-intervention responses revealed a higher percentage of staff reporting no burnout (57.7% vs. 75%), low levels of job-related stress (58.8% vs. 65.5%), and satisfaction with current job (70.6% vs. 82.8%). Most participants agreed or strongly agreed that structured huddles (69%) and recognition events (82.8%) were beneficial and recommended continuation (65.5% and 82.8%, respectively). Open-ended responses regarding workplace stressors focused heavily on staffing and patient acuity. Project outcomes support the integration of tailored interventions to reduce burnout among pediatric ICPs. Organizational commitment to addressing burnout can provide incentive to scale up institution-wide staff engagement interventions. Further study is needed to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of such tailored interventions across diverse settings.

Moral distress and burnout in caring for older adults during medical school training

BackgroundMoral distress is a reason for burnout in healthcare professionals, but the clinical settings in which moral distress is most often experienced by medical students, and whether moral distress is associated with burnout and career choices in medical students is unknown. We assessed moral distress in medical students while caring for older patients, and examined associations with burnout and interest in geriatrics.MethodsA cross-sectional survey study of second-, third-, and fourth-year medical students at an American medical school. The survey described 12 potentially morally distressing clinical scenarios involving older adult patients. Students reported if they encountered each scenario, and whether they experienced moral distress, graded on a 1–10 scale. We conducted a principal axis factor analysis to assess the dimensionality of the survey scenarios. A composite moral distress score was calculated as the sum of moral distress scores across all 12 scenarios. Burnout was assessed using the Maslach Abbreviated Burnout Inventory, and interest in geriatrics was rated on a 7-point Likert scale.ResultsTwo-hundred and nine students responded (47%), of whom 90% (188/209) reported moral distress in response to ≥1 scenario with a median (IQR) score of 6 (4–7). Factor analysis suggested a unidimensional factor structure of the 12 survey questions that reliably measured individual distress (Cronbach alpha = 0.78). Those in the highest tertile of composite moral distress scores were more likely to be burnt out (51%) than those in the middle tertile of scores (34%), or lowest tertile of scores (31%) (p = 0.02). There was a trend towards greater interest in geriatrics among those in the higher tertiles of composite moral distress scores (16% lowest tertile, 20% middle tertile, 25% highest tertile, p-for-tend = 0.21). Respondents suggested that moral distress might be mitigated with didactic sessions in inpatient geriatric care, and debriefing sessions with peers and faculty on the inpatient clerkships on medicine, neurology, and surgery, where students most often reported experiencing moral distress.ConclusionsMoral distress is highly prevalent among medical students while caring for older patients, and associated with burnout. Incorporating geriatrics education and debriefing sessions into inpatient clerkships could alleviate medical student moral distress and burnout.

Impact of Mind-Body Medicine Professional Skills Training on Healthcare Professional Burnout.

BackgroundHealthcare professional burnout has reached epidemic proportions, with downstream effects on personal and patient health and on our institutions. Solutions lie in the domains of work culture, operational efforts, and personal strategies.ObjectivesTo evaluate the impact of a 5-day mind–body medicine professional training program on burnout and quality of life.MethodsWe conducted pre- and postevaluation of a mind–body medicine skills training for healthcare professionals on 6 wellness domains using 2 validated instruments: the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Professional Quality of Life Survey.ResultsThere was a statistically significant improvement in changes in emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, personal accomplishment, compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress which was sustained at 12 months. Largest relative improvements occurred in emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, 22% and 21%, respectively.ConclusionIn addition to providing an important patient care skill set, mind–body medicine training may be an effective way to mitigate burnout and improve healthcare professional well-being.

Factors Contributing to Healthcare Professional Burnout During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Rapid Turnaround Global Survey

Background: Healthcare professionals (HCPs) on the front lines against COVID-19 may face increased workload, and stress. Understanding HCPs’ risk for burnout is critical to supporting HCPs and maintaining the quality of healthcare during the pandemic. Methods: To assess exposure, perceptions, workload, and possible burnout of HCPs during the COVID-19 pandemic we conducted a cross-sectional survey. The main outcomes and measures were HCPs’ self-assessment of burnout and other experiences and attitudes associated with working during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings: A total of 2,707 HCPs from 60 countries participated in this study. Fifty-one percent of HCPs reported burnout. Burnout was associated with work impacting household activities (RR=1·57, 95% CI=1·39-1·78, P <0·001), feeling pushed beyond training (RR=1·32, 95% CI=1·20-1·47, P <0·001), exposure to COVID-19 patients (RR=1·18, 95% CI=1·05-1·32, P =0·005), making life prioritizing decisions (RR=1·16, 95% CI=1·02-1·31, P =0·03). Adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) was protective against burnout (RR=0·88, 95% CI=0·79-0·97, P =0·01). Burnout was higher in high-income countries (HICs) compared to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) (RR=1·18; 95% CI=1·02-1·36, P =0·018). Interpretation: Burnout is prevalent at higher than previously reported rates among HCPs working during the COVID-19 pandemic and is related to high workload, job stress, and time pressure, and limited organizational support. Current and future burnout among HCPs could be mitigated by actions from healthcare institutions and other governmental and non-governmental stakeholders aimed at potentially modifiable factors, including providing additional training, organizational support, support for family, PPE, and mental health resources. Funding Statement: N/A Declaration of Interests: None reported. Ethics Approval Statement: This study met the exemption criteria of the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Institutional Review Board. Before initiating the survey, respondents were informed that their responses would be shared with the scientific community

Stress and Burnout Among Medical Students

Background & Objective(s): Numerous studies have shown a high incidence of burnout in health care professionals as well as individuals whose activities are psychologically similar to the work of students. The study aimed to estimate the frequency of stress and burnout among medical students and to investigate the relationship between stress, burnout level, medical students’ characteristics and some health related behaviors. Methods: A Cross sectional study was carried out at Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt among 390 medical students. Data were collected using two validated instruments “Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale” & “Maslach Burnout Inventory Scale” Results: Nearly two thirds of the medical students 66.1% had high stress levels; the most prominent burn out subscale was depersonalization 75.6%. The main 3 reasons of stress among medical students were fear of hurting patients, students’ perception that their clinical practice is not enough, limited time for training. There was a highly statistically significant relationship between high stress levels, high burnout subscales, using hypnotics and smoking. Conclusion: Medical students are exposed to a great deal of stress & burnout symptoms that mainly result from their worry about their future career and late exposure to clinical training. The present study would recommend integration of clinical sciences with basic sciences in addition to social skills in the medical students’ curricula.

The role of Emotional Intelligence in health care professionals burnout

Abstract The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between Emotional Intelligence (EI) and burnout in health care professionals. More specifically, this survey has the purpose of demonstrating the role of EI as a protective factor against the risk of burnout. Health professionals (doctors, nurses, and other caregivers) composed the sample. Health care professionals were invited to complete the following tests: Self Report Emotional Intelligence Test (Schutte et al., 1998; it. ad. Craparo, et al.[35]); Link Burnout Questionnaire,LBQ; Other variables, such as gender, lenght of service (years of professional experience) and organizational department. Major results of this survey underline the relationship between EI and burnout. More specifically, there is a negative and significant correlation between burnout and Emotional Intelligence. Moreover, burnout varies depending on length of service: burnout increases between 5 and 10 years of experience and decreases over 10 years. Indeed, burnout is differently expressed amongst healthcare professionals: more specifically, Psycho-physical exhaustion, Detriment of the relationships and Burnout (total score) impact physician (doctors) more than other investigated health professionals. These findings seem to suggest the opportunity to improve Emotional Intelligence abilities through specific training programs, useful to promote the ability to cope with stress and to enrich the relationships in the workplace. Key messages Burnout is more diffuse among health professionals working in emergency departments. Emotional intelligence has the role to cope with burnout.

Sağlık Çalışanlarında İkincil Travmatik Stres, Sinizm ve Tükenmişliğe Etki Eden Faktörlerin İncelenmesi

Giriş: Travma yaşayan kişilere hizmet veren sağlık çalışanları, ikincil travmatik stres, sinizm ve mesleki tükenmişlik sendromu gibi tehditlerle karşı karşıya kalmaktadırlar. Bu çalışma ile travma mağdurlarına hizmet veren sağlık çalışanlarında, ikincil travmatik stres, örgütsel sinizm ve mesleki tükenmişlik sendromuna etki eden faktörlerin incelenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Yöntem: Sağlık çalışanlarının ikincil travmatik stres, sinizm ve mesleki tükenmişlik etki eden faktörlerin incelendiği bu çalışma, genel tarama yöntemlerinden betimsel tarama modelindedir. Çalışmada İkincil Travmatik Stres Ölçeği, Örgütsel Sinizm Ölçeği, Maslach Tükenmişlik Envanteri ve Sosyo-Demografik Bilgi Formu kullanılmıştır. Bulgular: Çalışma sonucunda, kadın sağlık çalışanların, erkeklerden daha çok ikincil travmatik stresten etkilendiği ortaya çıkmıştır. Ayrıca kadınların bilişsel sinizmi ve duygusal tükenmeyi erkeklerden daha çok yaşadığı belirlenmiştir. Mesleği sevme ve maddi sorun yaşama değişkenlerinin, ikincil travmatik stres, sinizm ve tükenmişlik sendromunu bazı boyutlarda etkilediği görülmüştür. Sonuç: Araştırma sonucunda, kadın sağlık çalışanlarının ikincil travmatik stresten ve bilişsel sinizmden daha fazla etkilenmektedirler. Benzer biçimde duygusal tükenme açısından, kadın sağlık çalışanları, erkeklerden daha fazla tükenme yaşamaktadırlar. Mesleklerini seven sağlık çalışanları ikincil travmatik stresten daha az etkilenmekte; bilişsel, duyuşsal ve davranışsal sinizmi daha az yaşamaktadırlar. Bu grup aynı zamanda duygusal tükenme ve duyarsızlaşmadan daha az etkilenmektedir.

Understanding determinants of acute stroke thrombolysis using the tailored implementation for chronic diseases framework: a qualitative study

BackgroundThe Tailored Implementation in Chronic Disease (TICD) framework is a comprehensive framework describing the determinants of implementation success that has been used extensively in primary care settings. We explored the utility of the TICD to identify determinants of practice in an acute setting, namely guideline concordant acute stroke thrombolysis in a low-resourced, predominately minority serving, large, Emergency Department (ED).MethodsThrough workshops and expert review, we developed an interview guide informed by the TICD framework. We then conducted semi-structured interviews with data collected through written transcripts, audio transcripts or interviewer notes based on participant availability. Three independent coders then performed a content analysis using template analysis, but open to new determinants that arose from the data, into the TICD framework.ResultsWe performed a total of 15 semi-structured interviews with ED acute stroke providers including medical technicians, nurses, and physicians. We found that guideline factors, individual health professional factors, and patient factors domains were barriers to guideline concordant acute stroke thrombolysis. The domain professional interactions was a facilitator to treatment. We identified three determinants, healthcare professional burnout, health care professional turnover and surrogate decision making, that are not part of the TICD framework.ConclusionsMost determinants of acute stroke thrombolysis are included within the TICD framework. Inclusion of healthcare professional burnout, healthcare professional turnover and surrogate decision making may assist in expanding the TICD to time-sensitive ED conditions. Further work is needed to confirm this finding and to establish whether the TICD is applicable for use in non-time sensitive ED conditions. Interventions that address guideline, individual health professional and patient factors may improve guideline concordant acute stroke thrombolysis.

Being Mindful: A Long-term Investigation of an Interdisciplinary Course in Mindfulness.

BackgroundBurnout and work-related stress in health-care professionals (HCPs) is a growing concern to the optimal functioning of the health-care system. Mindfulness-based interventions may be well-suited to address burnout in HCPs.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was (1) to quantitatively evaluate the effect of a mindfulness-based intervention for interdisciplinary HCPs over time and at a long-term follow-up and (2) to explore perceived benefits, facilitators, and barriers to the practice of mindfulness at the long-term follow-up.DesignA mixed-method, repeated measures, within-subjects design was used to investigate Mindfulness for Interdisciplinary HCPs (MIHP) at baseline, post-MIHP, and a follow-up (6 months to 1.5 years after MIHP). MIHP is an 8-week, group-based course for interdisciplinary HCPs and students, with weekly meditation training, gentle yoga, and discussions on the application of mindfulness to common stressors faced by HCPs. Main outcome measures were the Maslach Burnout Inventory—Health Services Survey and the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire. A semistructured interview was used to explore participants’ perceptions of sustained effects and practice in the context of HCP work at the long-term follow-up. The study protocol was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02736292).ResultsEighteen HCPs (88% female) participated in the study. Significant reductions were found after the intervention for 2 subscales of burnout: depersonalization, F(2, 17) = 5.98, P = .01, and emotional exhaustion, F(2, 17) = 2.64, P = .10. Three facets of dispositional mindfulness showed significant increases at long-term follow-up, act aware: F(2, 15) = 4.47, P = .03, nonjudge: F(2, 15) = 4.7, P = .03, and nonreactivity: F(2, 15) = 3.58, P = .05. Continued practice of skills long term was facilitated by the use of informal practice and perceived improvement in work and personal life.ConclusionIn sum, MIHP improved subscales of burnout and mindfulness. These findings should be further explored with a larger, controlled study. Interventions should focus on developing mindfulness practice that can be integrated into the work of HCPs.

Communication Sciences and Disorders Graduate Students' Strengths and Vulnerabilities Related to Resilience: A Survey of Graduate Programs

Burnout in health care professionals may pose a threat to the quality of care provided in any setting. The purpose of this project was to examine dimensions related to future resilience in CSD graduate students. METHODS: In this project, 146 master’s degree students from Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) programs in the Midwest completed an online survey regarding lifestyle stresses affecting resilience, and patterns in five areas correlated with resilience. RESULTS: Top lifestyle stresses affecting academics were general stress, maintaining mental health, and sleep difficulties. Notably, more than half of the participants reported feeling rested three or fewer days per week. Further, CSD students reported significantly higher incidence of general stress, mental health conditions, chronic health conditions, concern for a friend or family member’s struggles, and sleep difficulty than college age peers. Positive factors identified related to resilience in CSD students included presence of professional networks and mentoring, maintaining positivity, opportunities for reflecting on strengths and weaknesses, and having a sense meaning in life. Respondent areas of resilience vulnerability were reduced optimism on a daily basis, limited sense of life balance, and hesitancy to discuss life issues or accommodation needs with faculty. Implications are discussed regarding CSD graduate programs’ roles in fostering resilience. CONCLUSION: Professional programs can support and promote the development of personal and professional resilience in students training for healthcare professions. This survey project provides a starting point to describe patterns in CSD master’s programs within the Midwestern region of the US.

Exploring the Relationship between Contextual Performance and Burnout in Healthcare Professionals

Contextual performance is assumed to be related to professionals’ quality of working life and health. This research aims to compare the levels of contextual performance at work in different hospital units, and to analyse the relationship between contextual performance and burnout syndrome. A total sample of 222 participants from a tertiary hospital took part in the study. Scores on contextual performance and burnout in five different hospital units were compared. The results showed that contextual performance is closely related with burnout. Also, results showed statistically significant differences in the degree of contextual performance at work by hospital unit. Overall, these results are significant for the development of health management strategies that promote contextual performance at work, thus improving the health and quality of work of health-care professionals.