Occupational burnout in pre-hospital emergency personnel in Iran: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Occupational burnout, as a reaction to persistent work pressures, reduces efficiency, wastes manpower, and causes physical and psychological complications. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency and intensity of occupational burnout among pre-hospital emergency staff in Iran. Materials and Methods: This study was performed based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Data resources included Scientific Information Database (SID), Magiran, Islamic World Science Citation Center (ISC), Irandoc, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Results: Initially, 178 articles were extracted, and then 13 articles were finally analyzed. Overall, 2034 pre-hospital emergency personnel were examined. Mean of occupational burnout in term of frequency, respectively for emotional exhaustion (16.78, 95% CI = 8.89-24.67, I2 = 62.30%, p = 0.004), depersonalization (11.57, 95% CI = 6.97-16.18, I2 = 68.50%, p = 0.001) and the lack of personal accomplishment (16.11, 95% CI = 8.60 -23.62, I2 = 74.70%, p = 0 <001) were determined. Also, in term of intensity, respectively for emotional exhaustion (17.90, 95% CI = 8.24-27.57, I2 = 64.80, p = 0.004), depersonalization (11.20, 95% CI = 6.80-16.22, I2 = 49.60%, p = 0.044) and the lack of personal accomplishment (23.45, 95% CI = 13.41 -33.49, I2 = 84.80%, p = 0 <001) were determined. Conclusions: According to findings, depersonalization and lack of personal accomplishment had moderate and high-level, respectively. Therefore, it is necessary health policymakers pay special attention to identifying and resolving the causes of occupational burnout in this population.

Automated summary

The study found moderate and high levels of depersonalization and lack of personal accomplishment among pre-hospital emergency personnel in Iran, indicating the need for health policymakers to pay special attention to identifying and resolving the causes of occupational burnout in this population.