Abstract
Background:
Respiratory therapists (RTs) provide a variety of patients care in different clinical settings. Burnout can have an undesirable effect on RTs and their patients. The involvement of managing COVID-19 pandemic, specifically in hospital, could stress RTs and increase the likelihood of burnout. Therefore, this study measures the level of burnout among RTs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods:
A validated cross-sectional questionnaire was used to identify prevalence and characteristics of burnout among RTs. Maslach burnout inventory was administered at a tertiary healthcare center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and it was administered by the hospital’s respiratory care department. Data analysis included descriptive, inferential, and correlational tests. Institutional review board (IRB) approval was acquired prior to study conduction.
Results:
The survey was distributed to 100 RTs, and the response rate was 66%. Most respondents reported high burnout levels according to the three burnout domains: 77% reported emotional exhaustion, 98% reported depersonalization, and 73% reported low personal achievement. Univariate analysis revealed that emotional exhaustion is significantly higher in RTs who are male, married, or working in critical care settings. Additionally, female RTs and those working in general care settings had significantly reduced personal achievement. Furthermore, analysis revealed a moderate positive correlation between the RTs’ years of experience and their emotional exhaustion (r = 0.6, P < .001) Figure 1.
Conclusions:
There is a high prevalence of burnout among RTs during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia. Hospital management should develop comprehensive plans to support RTs, improve their working conditions, and promote their occupational health. The long-term impacts of burnout among RTs need further investigation.
Figure 1 Correlation between emotional exhaustion score and years of experience
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