Addressing Burnout Among Emergency Services Professionals Through Patient Follow-up: An Exploratory Study

Emergency services professionals (eg, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, and emergency department registered nurses) work in high-stress, low-resource environments and are consequently vulnerable to burnout. Additionally, many lack opportunities to learn patient outcomes, which may contribute to dissatisfaction or uncertainty regarding their role in the patient care.

TThis study evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, appropriateness and estimated the effect size of a patient follow-up program implemented in a rural Wisconsin service area among both prehospital and emergency department-based emergency services professionals on burnout, compassion satisfaction, secondary traumatic stress, and job satisfaction.

Participants were provided follow-up summaries for patients they cared for over a 12-week period. Feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness were measured using a validated instrument and free-text responses analyzed via content analysis after the intervention. Burnout, compassion satisfaction, and secondary traumatic stress were measured using the Professional Quality of Life Scale, and job satisfaction was measured using 2 items from the Satisfaction of Employees in Health Care survey, administered before and after the intervention.

Forty-one participants enrolled in the study. They rated feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness highly. The majority reported that patient follow-up summaries were valuable and provided clinically useful information that supported their practice.

Patient follow-up summaries are valued by emergency services professionals and provide opportunities to learn from patient outcomes.