A tale of two APIC chapters: A pilot study measuring burnout in infection preventionists using the Maslach Burnout
Brenna Doran1, Megan Cook2, Lauren Geary3
1Innovative Partners Institute, San Francisco, CA.
Background:
Infection preventionists' (IPs) role can be jeopardized by imbalance between expanding responsibilities and limited resources. Challenges of stress and burnout among IPs can lead to turnover and struggles with staffing and workloads. The goal of this project was to measure burnout and evaluate the impact of a burnout assessment on a population of IPs.
Methods:
IPs from Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology were recruited to participate. Participants completed a pre-survey, the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) assessment, and a post-survey. Results from the pre- and post-survey were compared to determine changes in burnout awareness and perception following completion of the MBI. Results from the MBI were compared with the general population and between chapters.
Results:
There were 65 participants who completed all 3 phases of the project. The MBI scores revealed patterns in burnout indicators within respondents. Almost 75% (73.9%, n=48) of participants reported the MBI tool provided useful information and almost 70% (67.7%, n=44) believed the MBI tool increased self-awareness about burnout.
Conclusions:
Burnout is a significant challenge for this pilot IP population. This project highlights the need for continued burnout evaluation and resource provision. Organizations and IP leaders must proactively support IPs to prevent burnout.
