MILITARY MEDICINE, 179, 9:1006, 2014

Burnout in Army Health Care Providers CPT Teresa A. Walters, SP USA*; Eric P. Matthews, PhDf; MAJ Jason I. Dailey, MC USA t

ABSTRACT Research performed on soldiers in the military far exceeds that of research performed on military health care providers. The focus of this study was to explore the prevalence of burnout among the health care providers of the 101st Airborne Division in relation to deployments. A cross-sectional survey was electronically dispersed to 158 health care professionals including combat medics, physician assistants, and physicians. Over one-third of these professionals completed the online anonymous survey successfully. Results revealed that the majority of those surveyed were, in fact, burnt out. The study showed no correlation between burnout and deployment, though it did demonstrate correlation to the number of leave days accrued. More in-depth research and analysis is needed to further explain this correlation of health care providers in the military, the amount of leave days they have accrued, and burnout. Further research is also needed to see if this high level of burnout is present among military providers of other services, in different locations, and between different professions.

INTRODUCTION As the Armed Forces of the United States surpasses its first full decade fighting the war on global terrorism, society remains focused on the effects of the war on the soldiers fighting it. There have been few reports of the effects of this war on the medical professionals that care for these soldiers, while deployed or in garrison (nondeployed). With the com­ plexity of each patient growing, as well as the number of soldiers seeking medical care after these numerous deploy­ ments, health care providers have been placed into a precari­ ous position. The health care providers are soldiers themselves and have to manage their own stressors in addition to main­ taining the compassion and professionalism required to per­ form their jobs. Maslach and Jackson1 describe burnout as being a syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a lack of per­ sonal accomplishment. They note that as emotional resources diminish, the ability to continue to handle face-to-face patient encounters gets more difficult. Another aspect of burnout is cynicism toward one’s patients (depersonalization), at times believing that these patients may deserve the ailments plagu­ ing them. A lack of personal accomplishment can be seen when health care workers no longer feel satisfied about their personal progress in their profession. There is currently no research on combat medics, physician assistants (PAs), or physicians in relation to the rate of burn­ out they experience relative to deployment. Lang, Pfister, and Siemans2 reported on the rate of burnout in Army nurses compared to civilian nurses working in the same facility, but

this study did not analyze the deployment factor for the Army nurses. This study did show, however, that active duty Army nurses experienced more burnout than civilian nurses because of the extended hours that were required of them.2 This was one of the few studies remotely relevant to this topic. More recently, Chapman et al3 reported on the effects of preparation and the aftermath of deployments on enlisted combat medics over a 3-year time span, but did not comment on burnout. It was reported, however, “stigma and banders to care reported by other soldiers are also prevalent among combat medics,” which could be one reason for this popula­ tion not seeking the health care that they may need.3

Burnout in Army health care providers.

Research performed on soldiers in the military far exceeds that of research performed on military health care providers. The focus of this study was t...
5MB Sizes 7 Downloads 8 Views