Staff Burnout in a Hospice Setting

Abstract

Burnout is a job-related state characterized by emotional and physical exhaustion which can be caused by intense involvement over an extended period of time with people who are experiencing psychological and/or physical problems. People working in the health care professions have been identified as being particularly at risk for experiencing burnout. Based on hospice staff survey data collected as a part of the National Hospice Study (NHS), this paper describes multivariate analyses of selected demographic, occupational, and organizational predictors of burnout. Findings indicated that younger, better-educated staff are more prone to burnout, as are staff who work on a full-time basis in direct contact with patients. None of the hospice organizational factors tested were significantly related to burnout. Further research is necessary to determine whether or not such factors as staff support systems are effective in mitigating burnout among staff in the health care field.

Stress, Success, and Burnout: The Relationship Between Impostor Phenomenon and Burnout in Certified Child Life Specialists

“…This is consistent with previous literature concerning IP that found the newer a professional is to their field, the more likely they are to experience this phenomenon (Urwin, 2017). However, this finding is not consistent with previous burnout literature that found older professionals to be at higher risk for burnout (Maslach et al, 2001;Masterson-Allen et al, 1985). Heightened levels of burnout in newer CCLS may be an artifact of COVID-19.…”

Psychiatry and Terminal Illness

“…An environment with unrealistic workload expectations or a lack of resources to carry out the work itself can also result in caregiver stress (40). In general, it appears that older caregivers (that is, over age 55 years) are less likely to experience burnout than are their younger colleagues (41)(42)(43)(44). While one study reported 22% ofhospice nurses admitting that dealing with the dying was a major stress (45), another demonstrated that, in addition to intractable pain, psychiatric symptoms in patients and dealing with relatives were the major sources ofwork-related stress (46).…”