Burnout is an occupation-related condition resulting from chronic workplace stress and is associated with significant psychological and physical morbidity. This commentary recognizes burnout as a public health concern across both healthcare and non-healthcare professions, illuminates key occupational risk and protective factors, reviews the biopsychosocial impacts of burnout, and argues for the integration of occupational health screening into clinical practice. A synthesis of the literature highlighted that existing research has focused primarily on healthcare occupations; however, emerging evidence demonstrates an elevated burnout risk in numerous non-healthcare occupations. Characterized by high job demands, limited autonomy, inadequate social support, and physically demanding labor, non-healthcare professions have a unique set of stressors. Moreover, prolonged occupational exposure to these stressors further increases susceptibility to burnout-related psychological distress and risk of depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, cardiovascular disease, metabolic dysregulation, sleep disturbances, and other somatic symptoms. Overall, burnout represents a widespread occupational health issue with substantial biopsychosocial consequences. Incorporating occupational health screening into routine clinical assessments may improve early identification of burnout-related symptoms, reduce misdiagnosis, and support timely intervention at both individual and system levels.
Anderson* et al. (Fri,) studied this question.