Long working hours and burnout in health care workers: Non-linear dose-response relationship and the effect mediated...

Burnout among health care workers is highly prevalent and has profound impact on quality of care. Hospital on-duty schedules lead to long working hours and short sleeping hours; both are common factors associated with burnout. We examined the dose-response relationship and the potential mediating role of sleeping hours on the association between working hours and burnout among health care workers.

We collected data on the burnout status, using the Mandarin version of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (subscales measure work-related and personal burnouts), working hours, sleeping hours, and relevant measures for 2081 health care personnel who underwent a routine health examination in a medical center in Taiwan during 2016-2017. Four subgroups were compared: physicians (n = 369), nurses (n = 973), technicians (n = 391), and administrators (n = 348).

Average weekly working hours are associated with burnout scores in a non-linear dose-response manner. Compared with a work week of 40 hours, the odds ratio of work-related burnout doubled when hours exceeded 60, tripled when hours exceeded 74, and quadrupled when hours exceeded 84. Physicians' burnout is less susceptible to incremental increases in working hours, compared to the situations in other health care workers. The proportions eliminated by reducing sleeping hours were 25%-73% for physicians and 7%-29% for nurses respectively.

Our findings suggest that working hours are associated with burnout, and the association was partially mediated by sleeping hours.