Latent burnout profile analysis in hospital doctors in Ireland

by Gordon Haire, Lucia Prihodova, Sophia Kilcullen, Blánaid Hayes

Burnout, characterised by emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalisation (DP) and reduced personal accomplishment (PA), is caused by chronic workplace stress. Though widely reported in doctors, variability in definitions and assessment methods render comparisons between studies challenging. Furthermore, traditional methods of reporting burnout can be misleading, focusing more on individuals than on the workplace. Various scores from Maslach Burnout inventory (MBI) have been previously reported as ‘burnout’, inflating reported prevalence. Recent research suggests using latent profile analysis (LPA), to explore the continuum from engagement to burnout, as distinct patterns of working life may contribute to different profiles.

To examine the prevalence of latent burnout profiles (LBP) amongst Irish hospital doctors.

LBP categorisation of MBI was applied to responses from 1610 hospital doctors from a national survey. Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI) questionnaire and work ability score were used to measure work stress and work ability.

In line with LBP categorisation, the respondents were classified as follow: 23% (N = 364) Engaged; 21% (N = 332) Burnout (High EE and DP), Overextended (N = 476, 30%); 22% (N = 355) Ineffective (low PA score), 5% (N = 83) Disengaged (high DP scores). Consultants were more likely to be classified as Engaged than trainees. Those classified as Burnout were younger. Females were more likely to be classified as Overextended. Work stress was associated with Overextended, Disengaged and Burnout profiles. Insufficient workability was associated with Burnout profile.

The use of LPA provides more nuanced exploration of the phenomenon which can be correlated with workplace features, pointing to potential interventions.