Determinants of Burnout Among Healthcare Professionals Working in the Labour Room of a Tertiary Care Hospital in South Punjab, Pakistan

Objective: To find out the frequency and determinants of burnout among healthcare workers and staff working in a labour room of a Gynaecology unit of a tertiary care hospital in South Punjab, Pakistan. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of the Study: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Shaikh Zayed Hospital, Rahim Yar Khan, Pakistan, from Mar to May 2022. Methodology: A total of 93 healthcare workers, including doctors and nurses from the labour room of the study centre, were included. Possible causes of burnout were noted. The 16-item instrument OLBI was utilized. Results: Of the 93 study participants, 35(37.6%) were post-graduate residents. High exhaustion was reported by 61(65.6%) study participants, while high disengagement was noted in 44(47.3%). Burnout was reported by 38(40.9%) study participants. Age (p=0.006), marital status as married (p=0.004), designation as post-graduate resident (p<0.001), patient expectations unfulfilled (p<0.001), litigation anxiety (p<0.001), lack of control of processes (p=0.017), role conflict (p=0.001) and communication gap among workers (p<0.001) were found to have a significant association with burnout. Conclusion: The frequency of burnout among healthcare professionals and nurses working in the labour room of a tertiary care hospital in a developing country was high. Age, marital status as married, post-graduate residents, patients' expectations unfulfilled, litigation anxiety, lack of control of processes, role conflict and communication gap among workers were found to have a significant association with burnout.