Lived Experiences of Burnout and Perceived Effectiveness of Organizational Interventions Among Healthcare Workers: A Qualitative Study

Background: Burnout is a serious issue for workers within the healthcare industry, defined as emotional exhaustion (EE) (feeling overwhelmed), depersonalization (DP) (disconnection from your job), and a decreased sense of personal achievement (PA).Burnout negatively affects both healthcare employees and the quality of care patients receive.High-intensity job roles have been impacted with labor shortages (staffing), increase in patient volumes, and lack of organizational support; healthcare employees working in emergency rooms and intensive care units (ICUs) are most prone to burnout.The COVID-19 pandemic has complicated these issues even more.Of utmost importance is understanding the experiences and perceptions of the healthcare workers about organizational strategies used to help prevent/burn out employees.Objective: To gather insights about the experiences of healthcare providers dealing with burnout and their thoughts about the success/impact of organizational strategies. Materials and methods:The Royal Lancaster Infirmary has carried out a combination of quantitative and qualitative research.Quantitative data collection included the use of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and workplace strategies scale and involved administering 400 surveys to healthcare personnel from different job classifications and departments.Descriptive statistics, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and multiple regression analysis were used to analyze these quantitative data.Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews and focus groups with a sample of 20 healthcare providers who participated in the study; these qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis using NVivo software.The quantitative and qualitative findings were compared through triangulation.Results: Burnout levels were found to differ by occupation and department within the hospital; nurses experienced the greatest amount of EE (mean score = 28.9 ± 5.8) and DP (mean score = 14.3 ± 5.0).Administrative support personnel reported the least amount of burnout (i.e., EE and DP).Workplaces with high-volume patients, such as emergency departments (EDs) and ICUs, had a much higher incidence of burnout than those with lower-volume patients, such as outpatient services or other departments.Those surveyed reported that the two organizational support strategies they believed to be most beneficial were flexible work hours (mean = 4.2) and access to mental health support services (mean = 4.0).These strategies were also statistically significantly related to a reduction in EE (p < 0.05).Qualitative data collected through semistructured interviews identified major themes of workloads and staffing issues, the necessity for support systems, as well as the significance of having flexibility and autonomy in the workplace. Conclusion:The cause of burnout for healthcare workers can be attributed to multiple factors, such as their position, where they work (in which department), the amount of work they do, and whether or not they received support from the organization where they trained.One type of solution identified was flexible work schedules and easy access to mental health services.A comprehensive multi-faceted approach to addressing burnout will lead to improved wellbeing for the healthcare workforce as well as the ongoing quality of care provided to patients.