Burnout in Healthcare Workers: Prevalence, Impact and Preventative Strategies

Abstract

Approximately, one in three physicians is experiencing burnout at any given time. This may not only interfere with own wellbeing but also with the quality of delivered care. This narrative review discusses several aspects of the burnout syndrome: prevalence, symptoms, etiopathogenesis, diagnosis, impact, and strategies on how to deal with the problem.

Keywords: burnout; healthcare worker; impact; prevalence; prevention; symptoms.

Figure 1

Overview of the number of PubMed hits for the search term “burnout” between 1970 and 2019.

Figure 2

12-stage model for the development of burnout as described by Freudenberger.

Figure 3

Simplified 5-stage model for the development of burnout which is most frequently used.

Figure 4

Symptoms in the different stages of burnout.

Figure 5

External (environmental) and internal (personality-related) etiological factors for burnout.

Figure 6

The job demand-control model, introduced by Karasek in 1979 focuses on the balance between the magnitude of the demands (height of strain) and the level of control (decision latitude) in a person’s work situation.

Figure 7

The effort-reward imbalance model, proposed by Siegrist in 1996 defines threatening job conditions as a mismatch between high demand (high workload) and low control over long-term rewards.