Factors affecting healthcare workers burnout and their conceptual models: scoping review

The occupational stress that contributes to the development of burnout syndrome remains one of the greatest scientific challenges. Despite years of research into burnout and its determinants, burnout continues to attract the attention of researchers, and healthcare workers (HCWs) continue to experience burnout in large numbers. Burnout has a significant impact on both the mental and physical well-being of HCWs and reduces patient-centered healthcare. This review aims to identify the factors affecting healthcare workers' burnout (FAHCWB) and their conceptual models.

The review was conducted according to Arksey and O'Malley's framework using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA). Searches were conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Wiley, ProQuest, Sage, Science Direct, and EBSCO using the following keywords: healthcare professionals, burnout, and internal/external factors. Empirical, qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-design research articles published in English with full-text access in peer-reviewed journals that investigated the FAHCWB were included. For an in-depth analysis of the included articles, the authors developed a data synthesis table, and thematic analysis was applied to the analysis.

According to the inclusion criteria, 38 articles were selected for further data analysis. Six main themes were identified: (1) FAHCWB; (2) conceptual models of FAHCWB; (3) research tools for studying FAHCWB; (4) findings on FAHCWB in the context of different models; (5) differences between findings from different models; (6) what is known and not known about FAHCWB. The results of the review show that most researchers conduct research on factors affecting burnout (FAB) based on factors related to the work environment, with fewer studies based on individual factors, including personality factors. Most of the research is based on the model developed by Maslach et al. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) has been used in most studies.

Despite years of research, burnout continues to evolve rapidly, indicating that scientific research needs to be re-focused. Research should be conducted using different conceptual models and new research tools that allow the syndrome to be studied from a multidimensional perspective, including both the work environment and individual factors.