ABSTRACT
Background. Burnout has been studied in several emergency medical services contexts and has been found to be high compared with that found in other health professions. Although burnout among students has been described in several healthcare disciplines; this has not been done in the field of prehospital emergency care. Objectives. To determine the prevalence of burnout among students in a 4-year university paramedic degree programme and to assess whether there was any significant difference in the prevalence of burnout among students during the 4 years of study. Methods. In this cross-sectional survey all students enrolled in a 4-year university paramedic degree programme were invited to participate. The questionnaire consisted of 19 questions from the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI); combined with distractor questions. Responses were analysed descriptively and one-way analysis of variance was used to compare CBI scores across the 4 academic years of study. Results. An 85% (n=93) response rate was obtained. The overall prevalence of burnout was 31%. Mean CBI scores across all academic years of study were highest for personal burnout; followed by work-related burnout and patient care-related burnout.The highest prevalence of students with burnout was in the 4th year; as was the highest prevalence of work-related and personal burnout. The second highest prevalence of students with burnout was in the 1st year; as was the highest prevalence of patient care-related burnout. No significant difference was found in CBI total burnout scores across the 4 years of study. Conclusion. Although there are no directly comparable data; the prevalence of burnout in this group of students appears to be high; particularly in the 1st and 4th years of study. Steps should be taken to ensure access to social and psychological support to avoid a negative impact on academic success and student wellbeing
Subject(s)
Burnout, Professional , Emergency Medical Services , Prevalence , South AfricaABSTRACT
"Ethnographic and survery methods were combined to determine the behavioural risks of Zimbabwean truckers and to design an intervention with them. 70 drove long-distance within Zimbabwe and 30 drove internationally. 84 were married; but less than half their wives lived all year in town. 60 had girlfriends and 64 visited prostitutes when away. 66 had used condoms with prostitutes; but condom use with wives or girlfriends was markedly lower. In their last commercial encounter; 48 were drunk. Most knew of AIDS; mostly via radio; but knoledge was uneven: e.g only 50 knew condoms afforded protection. Trucking and prostitution were closely interwoven: prostitutes knew truck stops; frequently provided companioship and sex for free transportation and ""brothels"" often abutted trucker's hostels; Bar and hotel owners along highways encourage prostitutes because they attract the patronage of truckers. The nature of work underpinned sexual risks. Truckers were away over 14 days a month; with individual journeys often exceeding 10 days. Few truckers had home phones and were therefore isolated from their families for the duration of each trip. Truckers hired prostitutes because of loneliness; tedium; the dreariness of hostels and predominaly male ""anti-community"" environments. CONCLUSION: HIV susceptibility is deeply rooted in the singular character of trucking work. Intensive condom-oriented interventions; led; for empathy and credibility; by peer educators; are essential."