Burnout Syndrome in the Intensive Care Unit. Future Directions for Research

Burnout syndrome is a psychological condition experienced in the workplace that is characterized by exhaustion, depersonalization, and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment (1).Burnout syndrome can manifest as physical and emotional health problems.Work-related consequences can include clinician dissatisfaction, decreased quality of care delivered to patients, medical errors, unjustified absenteeism, and intention to leave the organization.Health care organizations and leaders within the critical care community are increasingly concerned about the development of burnout syndrome among intensive care unit (ICU) health care professionals (2, 3).These concerns are fueled by growing awareness of the major adverse consequences burnout can have on individual clinicians, health care organizations, and patients.An official statement addressing burnout syndrome among ICU health care professionals was prepared jointly by the American Thoracic Society (ATS), American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST), American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN), and Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) and was published simultaneously in journals of the participating societies, including the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (4) The statement discusses the prevalence, contributing factors, diagnosis, consequences, prevention, and treatment of burnout syndrome in ICU physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals.