Prevalence of burnout syndrome in the staff of a third-level hospital specialised in paediatrics Prevalencia del síndrome de burnout en el personal de un hospital de tercer nivel de salud especializado en pediatría

Abstract

Introduction: Worldwide, burnout syndrome has long been recognized as a major problem in pediatric hospital staff. However, previous research on this topic has limitations, such as the exclusion of nonhealthcare personnel and the variability in assessment criteria. Objective: To assess the prevalence of burnout syndrome in the staff of a pediatric hospital in Lima, Peru. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out. A total of 328 staff members of a pediatric hospital participated, including healthcare (n=207) and non-healthcare (n=121) staff. Burnout syndrome was assessed through the Maslach Burnout Inventory, using the assessment criteria proposed by its authors. Results: The prevalence of burnout syndrome in healthcare staff was 12.6%, and in non-healthcare staff was 16.5%. In addition, about 50% of the staff had at least one symptom of burnout syndrome. When comparing the mean scores of the MBI dimensions of the study staff and the global population, it was observed that the non-healthcare staff had higher levels of emotional exhaustion and cynicism (p-value < 0.001), while the healthcare staff showed equal or better scores in the achievement (p-value > 0.050) and depersonalization (p-value < 0.001) dimensions, compared to the global population. Conclusion: The high prevalence of burnout syndrome symptoms and the divergent responses between healthcare and non-healthcare staff underline the importance of adopting individualized approaches to address this issue.