Prevalence and pattern of burnout syndrome among healthcare professionals in a university teaching hospital

Background: Burnout syndrome in health care workers is a state of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion caused by long-term involvement in high-stress situations. Burnout is regarded as the result of chronic stress that has not been successfully addressed. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence, patterns and comparison of the different stages of burnout syndrome amongst various health care professionals. Materials and Methods: Total of 280 health care professionals comprising 55 doctors, 165 nurses, three physiotherapists, five radiographers and 52 medical laboratory scientists participated in the survey. Participants were chosen using a proportionate stratified random sampling technique. The instrument used for data collection was the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) .The data were analysed using descriptive statistics such as means and standard deviations, and inferential statistics (ANOVA). Significance was set at 95%. Results: The results reveals that burnout (EE-emotional exhaustion, DP-depersonalisation, PA-personal accomplishment) occurred in the following order, medical lab scientist (EE 33.85, DP:14.83, PA:21.77), nurses (EE:30.81, DP:12.80,PA:27.81), doctors (EE:25.47, DP:9.87, PA:31.64), radiographers (EE:16.8, DP:7.6, PA:36.2), physiotherapist (EE:8.67, DP:4.33, PA:37.68). There was significant difference in all the stages of burnout (P<0.05). Conclusion: Health care organisations need to acknowledge that those who work in the health care profession may need help to cope with the stress and burnout that are often associated with such practice. Efforts to alleviate burnout among health care professionals will have positive effect on health care service delivery.