Burnout Among Critical Care Respiratory Therapists A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: This study aims to investigate burnout among critical care respiratory therapists. Burnout syndrome, characterized by fatigue, cynicism, and reduced professional efficacy, is prevalent in high-stress careers such as healthcare. While extensive research has examined burnout among physicians and nurses, there needs to be more understanding of its prevalence and impact among respiratory therapists in critical care settings. This cross-sectional study seeks to fill this gap and provide insights into the burnout experienced by this specific healthcare professional group. Methods: The study used a cross-sectional design, a survey approach was used to gather data, and the research focused on assessing the presence of burnout and burnout syndrome (BOS) among critical care respiratory therapists. The participants were critical care respiratory therapists working in healthcare settings. This method allowed for the collection of information on the prevalence of burnout in this specific healthcare clinician group. The survey-based approach provided a practical and efficient method for examining the impact of burnout on critical care respiratory therapists. Results: The study examined burnout levels among 591 respiratory therapists (RCPs) and found high levels of emotional exhaustion (EE) with an average score of 32.85 and depersonalization (DP) with an average score of 12.28. These scores indicate high levels of burnout and correlate with the reported burnout level of 88.54%. These findings suggest that RCPs experience significant burnout, as noted in the Maslach Burnout Index (MBI) values, highlighting the need for interventions to address burnout in this specialized clinical group.