Burnout, Mental Health, and Quality of Life Among Employees of a Malaysian Hospital: A Cross-sectional Study

Burnout and mental health issues are common among healthcare workers. Burnout and mental ill-health may also adversely affect quality of life (QOL). This study aimed to determine the prevalence of burnout, mental ill-health, and QOL among employees of Hospital Bentong in Pahang state, Malaysia. This was a 2-week, cross-sectional online survey for Hospital Bentong employees. It consisted of (i) sociodemographic data, (ii) respondents' perceptions, (iii) Malay-version Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI), (iv) 21-item Depression, Anxiety and Stress scale (DASS-21), and (v) WHO Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) instrument. In total, 52.4% of hospital employees (N = 251) participated in the study. The burnout rates were 17.5% (personal burnout), 13.9% (work burnout), and 6.0% (client burnout). The prevalence rates of depression, anxiety, and stress were 18.7, 38.6, and 12.0%, respectively. In multivariate regression analysis, personal burnout was associated with Malay ethnicity odds ratio (OR) = 4.54, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.41-18.17, management and professional position (OR = 3.89, 95% CI = 1.34-11.29), and having financial problem (OR = 3.29, 95% CI = 1.53-7.06). Work burnout was associated with management and professional position (OR = 7.26, 95% CI = 1.84-28.59), having problem with colleagues (OR = 2.85, 95% CI = 1.08-7.50), and having financial problem (OR = 4.41, 95% CI = 1.82-10.72), while age (OR = 1.12, 95% CI = 1.00-1.25) and male gender (OR = 7.14, 95% CI = 2.00-25.55) were significant factors for client burnout. There were moderate-to-strong correlations between CBI, DASS-21, and WHOQOL-BREF scores (P values <0.01). In mediation analysis, mental ill-health was shown to have significant mediating effect in the relationship between burnout and poor QOL. Such findings need to be replicated across different hospital settings. Studies on effectiveness strategies to manage identified issues will be required.