Burnout and job stress in healthcare professionals: a single-centre cross-sectional study in an East China tertiary hospital after COVID-19 policy adjustment.

Abstract

To examine the relationship between job stress and job burnout among healthcare professionals (HPs) in a tertiary hospital in East China following the adjusted COVID-19 prevention policies and to explore the effects of demographic and work environment factors on burnout and its subtypes (emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalisation (DP), personal accomplishment (PA)). Cross-sectional, using a questionnaire-based survey method. A tertiary hospital located in Qingdao, East China. A total of 434 HPs were included, with 138 men (31.8%) and 296 women (68.2%); the mean age was 35.05±7.96 years. Participants included physicians (37.1%), clinical nurses (49.5%), clinical pharmacists (3.9%), medical technicians (5.1%) and administrative staff (4.4%). Demographic factors (age, sex, marital status, education level, professional title, length of employment, income) and work-related factors (weekly working hours, sleep duration) were collected. No specific interventions were implemented; this was an observational study focusing on the burnout assessment and associated factors. Primary outcomes: burnout levels assessed via the Chinese version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS), including three subscales: EE (9 items), DP (5 items) and PA (8 items). Severe burnout was defined as meeting 'high-level' criteria for all three subscales (EE ≥27, DP ≥10, PA ≤33). demographic (sex, professional role, length of employment) and work-related (weekly working hours, daily sleep duration) factors associated with burnout. Among 434 HPs, 74 (17.1%) experienced severe burnout. The median scores of MBI-HSS subscales were 17 (IQR: 9-27) for EE, 3 (IQR: 0-7) for DP and 37 (IQR: 27.75-43) for PA. Multivariate logistic regression showed that: nurses had a higher risk of high EE than physicians (OR=2.86, 95% CI: 1.32 to 6.21, p<0.05); weekly working hours >40 hours (OR=2.30, 95% CI: 1.32 to 3.99, p<0.01) and daily sleep duration <6 hours (OR=2.17, 95% CI: 1.15 to 4.09, p<0.05) were independent risk factors for high EE and severe burnout; men were more likely to have reduced PA (OR=1.82, 95% CI: 1.13 to 2.93, p<0.05). A high prevalence of severe burnout (17.1%) was observed among HPs after COVID-19 policy adjustment. Key risk factors include being a nurse, long working hours (>40 hours/week), short sleep duration (<6 hours/day) and male sex (for reduced PA). Targeted interventions (eg, workload optimisation, sleep support) should prioritise young, inexperienced HPs and nurses to mitigate burnout in healthcare settings.