Burnout in Australian paramedics

Liz Thyer
Monday, February 12, 2018

Background: Burnout has consistently been identified as an issue in health professionals, with paramedics in particular frequently noted to have high burnout rates. Aims: The current study aimed to describe the prevalence of total work burnout in Australian paramedics and of three subcategories: personal, work-related and patient-related burnout. Methods: This cross-sectional online survey presented the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) to a national convenience sample (<i>n</i>=893) over a 5-week period from April–May 2015. The primary outcome was prevalence of total burnout (%). Secondary outcomes were prevalence of subgroups of burnout and predictive factors. Findings: More than half (55.9%) of respondents were determined to have total burnout at the time of completing the survey; 43.4% had patient-related burnout; 62.7% had work-related burnout; and 69.1% had personal-related burnout. Females, metropolitan work location, and having worked for 15–19 years as a paramedic were all predictive of total burnout. Conclusions: The study showed high prevalence of total burnout among this sample of Australian paramedics.

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