Measuring the levels of burnout syndrome and empathy of Spanish emergency medical service professionals

Abstract

Background: to determine the prevalence of burnout syndrome among Spanish emergency medical service professionals and establish any possible relationships between their levels of empathy and sociodemographic and/or working conditions. Method: 550 professionals participated in this descriptive study by responding to the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Basic Empathy Scale. Results: respondents were, on average, 40.9 years old (SD = 9.03) and 63.4% were female. Their average length of service was 11.6 years (SD = 8.1); 57.9% were physicians, 22.4% nurses, and 7.2% technical staff. Of the 337 who said they had children, 51% said that parenthood affected their emotional state when attending emergency situations involving children. Participants generally considered themselves to be competent (x˙ = 4.2; SD = 0.7) and occupationally motivated (x˙ = 3.8; SD = 1.1). More experienced participants presented fewer signs of burnout and empathy and more signs of competence (p < 0.001). Occupational category appeared to significantly affect the presentation of burnout syndrome (p < 0.05). Prehospital emergency medical services (PEMS) staff tended to rate their ability to perform their work and interact professionally with their patients more positively than emergency department staff. Conclusion: Spanish emergency medical service staff present similar levels of burnout to other healthcare providers but have higher levels of empathy. We found no significant differences in the presentation of burnout between physicians and nurses, but compared to emergency department staff, PEMS professionals appeared to be more confident in their abilities. Educational activities are required to improve professionals’ ability to cope with their work and structural workplace interventions could help reinforce healthcare professionals’ ability to tolerate intense workloads and to maintain their sense that their work is rewarding.