Significance of working conditions on burnout in anesthetists

Background: The influence of working conditions on the development of burnout syndrome was assessed in anesthetists working at a university hospital. Methods: Self-reporting questionnaires were used to assess physical health and emotional well-being (Health and Stress Profile), burnout syndrome (Maslach Burnout Inventory) and working conditions (Instrument for Stress-Oriented Task Analysis) in anesthetists. Results: Twenty-three anesthetists (25.8%) appeared to be at risk for burnout, and three anesthetists (3.4%) had already developed full-blown burnout syndrome. Anesthetists at risk for burnout more frequently suffered from limited complexity of work (P = 0.001), lacking individual time control (P = 0.004), lack of participation possibilities (P = 0.012), and had more physical complaints (P = 0.017) and greater job dissatisfaction (P = 0.002) than did their colleagues with no burnout symptoms. Conclusion: Job conditions providing little opportunity to influence work pace and participation contribute to the development of burnout syndrome. Communication and contact with colleagues appear to be an important preventive regulative.