Measuring burnout syndrome requires reliable and standardized measures

Keywords: Burnout syndrome;burnout measure;emergency healthcare workers;Maslach Burnout Inventory;occupational health EN Burnout syndrome burnout measure emergency healthcare workers Maslach Burnout Inventory occupational health 325 326 2 08/25/22 20220901 NES 220901 Dear Editor in Chief, We have appreciated the paper by Zakaria et al. showing a high prevalence of burnout syndrome (BOS) among emergency healthcare workers (HCWs) in Malaysia during COVID-19 pandemic.[1] This finding is certainly in line with the literature as high levels of stress, fear, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, and post-traumatic stress disorders among emergency and frontline HCWs during the COVID-19 have resulted in high levels of BOS and turnover intention.[2] However, the instrument (i.e. the "Burnout Questionnaire Form") used by Zakaria et al. for measuring BOS raises some concerns. Burnout syndrome, burnout measure, emergency healthcare workers, Maslach Burnout Inventory, occupational health This latter focuses on six "Areas of Worklife" (AWS) and could be used in combination with the MBI for conducting among HCWs analyses of association between their burnout profile and job-related factors. [Extracted from the article] Copyright of Hong Kong Journal of Emergency Medicine is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Pandemic-related factors predicting physician burnout beyond established organizational factors: cross-sectional results from the COPING survey.

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased physician burnout beyond high baseline levels. We aimed to determine whether pandemic-related factors contribute to physician burnout beyond known organizational factors. This was a cross-sectional survey of Canadian physicians using a convenience sample. Eligible participants included any physician currently holding a license to practice in Canada. Responses were gathered from May 13 to 12 June 2020. Risk factors measured included the newly developed Pandemic Experiences and Perceptions Scale (PEPS) subscales, contact with virus, pandemic preparation, and provincial caseload. The primary outcome was the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). The primary outcome was completed by 309 respondents. Latent profile analysis found 107 (34.6%) respondents were burned out. In multivariate analysis, exhaustion was independently associated with PEPS adequacy, risk perception, and worklife subscales (adjusted R2 = 0.236, P < 0.001). Cynicism was associated with exhaustion, and PEPS worklife (adjusted R2 = 0.543, P < 0.001). Efficacy was associated with cynicism, PEPS worklife, and active cases (adjusted R2 = 0.152, P < 0.001). Structural equation modelling showed statistically significant direct paths between PEPS areas of worklife and all MBI subscales. Contact with virus, preparation, and PEPS risk perception added to the prediction of MBI exhaustion. Among a sample of Canadian physicians during the COVID-19 pandemic, adequacy of resources, risk perception, and quality of worklife were associated with burnout indices. To mitigate physician burnout organizations should work to improve working conditions, ensure adequate resources, and foster perceived control of risk of transmission.Trial Registration: NCT04379063.