Burnout in healthcare workers managing chronic patients with disorders of consciousness

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the presence of burnout among professional caregivers managing patients with severe brain injury recovering from coma and working in neurorehabilitation centres or nursing homes. Methods: The Maslach Burnout Inventory was sent to 40 centres involved in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Brain injury 2012-11, Vol.26 (12), p.1493-1499
Main Authors: Gosseries, O., Demertzi, A., Ledoux, D., Bruno, M.-A., Vanhaudenhuyse, A., Thibaut, A., Laureys, S., Schnakers, C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Burnout, Professional - diagnosis
Burnout, Professional - psychology
Chronic Disease
Consciousness Disorders
depersonalization
Emotional exhaustion
Emotions
Female
Health Personnel - psychology
Health Personnel - statistics & numerical data
Human health sciences
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
minimally conscious state
Neurologie
Neurology
Nursing Homes - statistics & numerical data
Rehabilitation Centers - statistics & numerical data
Sciences de la santé humaine
Surveys and Questionnaires
vegetative state
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Summary:Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the presence of burnout among professional caregivers managing patients with severe brain injury recovering from coma and working in neurorehabilitation centres or nursing homes. Methods: The Maslach Burnout Inventory was sent to 40 centres involved in the Belgian federal network for the care of vegetative and minimally conscious patients. The following demographic data were also collected: age, gender, profession, expertise in the field, amount of time spent with patients and working place. Results: Out of 1068 questionnaires sent, 568 were collected (53% response rate). Forty-five were excluded due to missing data. From the 523 healthcare workers, 18% (n = 93) presented a burnout, 33% (n = 171) showed emotional exhaustion and 36% (n = 186) had a depersonalization. Profession (i.e. nurse/nursing assistants), working place (i.e. nursing home) and the amount of time spent with patients were associated with burnout. The logistic regression showed that profession was nevertheless the strongest variable linked to burnout. Conclusions: According to this study, a significant percentage of professional caregivers and particularly nurses taking care of patients in a vegetative state and in a minimally conscious state suffered from burnout. Prevention of burnout symptoms among caregivers is crucial and is expected to promote more efficient medical care of these challenging patients.
ISSN:0269-9052
1362-301X
1362-301X
DOI:10.3109/02699052.2012.695426