What is the prevalence and risk factors of burnout among pediatric intensive care staff (PICU)? A review

Staff in the paediatric intensive care unit work with children and their families in an area of high acuity, mortality, and morbidity. There is complexity due to technological advancements and confronting psychosocial situations. With increasing reports of the threat of burnout to healthcare professionals it is imperative to understand the prevalence of burnout and the determinants of risk factors for staff to work in the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) in order to inform interventions that reduce risk and support growth and wellbeing of this specialised workforce. We conducted electronic searches of PUBMED, Medline, CINAHL and PsychINFO. Studies meeting eligibility inclusion criteria comprised English text, publication dates 1995 to 2019, use of standardized measures to assess prevalence and risk factors for burnout where the PICU staff data was reported separately and contained sample sizes ≥10 PICU staff. Two reviewers independently identified and extracted citations and assessed the quality of papers using two standardised reporting tools. Twenty studies were included in the final review. Due to the heterogeneity of the included studies a descriptive account of the studies was developed. Outcomes reported included prevalence and levels of burnout reported across professional disciplines, reported scoring criteria for burnout, risk and protective factors for burnout, comparative populations, systems and social context associated with burnout and study strengths and limitations. Most studies were cross-sectional, used a single measure of burnout and focussed on either physicians or nurses. Of the 20 studies reported 62% reported high burnout, 19% moderate burnout, and 19% reported low levels of burnout. Inconsistency was identified in adherence to recommended cut-off scores or reporting for the categorisation of burnout, which contributed to a lack of clarity in the interpretation of prevalence and severity. Reports of factors associated with increased risk and likely protective factors for burnout were often contradictory suggesting that burnout may be situational; dependent upon personal, environmental, leadership, cultural and patient factors within the PICU. This review revealed that determining levels and risk of burnout in PICU staff remains problematic. Further research which examines the experiences of all members of the multidisciplinary team and identification of factors that affect the development of burnout, including those which are protective, is required.