Burnout Syndrome in Contemporary Healthcare: Prevalence and Determinant Factors

BACKGROUND: Healthcare professionals are at higher risk of experiencing burnout, and its prevalence has been increasing due to low emphasis given to this longstanding problem. It has a negative impact on the individuals, patient safety, healthcare system and country at large. We aimed to identify the prevalence and factors of burnout syndrome among health care professionals in Jimma University Medical Center. METHODS: A cross-sectional study involving 356 participants was conducted between August 1 and September 30, 2023, using the 22-item Maslach Burnout Inventory Human Services Survey. Epidata version 4.6.0 was used for data entry and SPSS version 25 was used for analysis. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify predictors of burnout. A p-value ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The majority of the 356 participants were female (n=189, 53%) and the mean age was 32 (SD: 7) years. About 20% of the participants had burnout syndrome across all dimensions. Age greater than 30 years including all age categories; [adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 5, p = 0.004], being a nurse. [AOR: 4.2, p = 0.040], being an anesthetist; [AOR: 27, p = 0.002], lack of good relationship with colleagues [AOR: 12, p < 0.001] and a lack interest in their profession [AOR: 7.8, p < 0.001] were predictors of burnout syndrome. CONCLUSION: The overall burnout syndrome rate was high with predictors of burnout syndrome including age above 30 years, being an anesthetist, and lack of good relationship with colleagues.