RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Burnout in emergency department healthcare professionals is associated with coping style: a cross-sectional survey
JF Emergency Medicine Journal
JO Emerg Med J
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and the British Association for Accident & Emergency Medicine
SP 722
OP 727
DO 10.1136/emermed-2014-203750
VO 32
IS 9
A1 M Howlett
A1 K Doody
A1 J Murray
A1 D LeBlanc-Duchin
A1 J Fraser
A1 PR Atkinson
YR 2015
UL http://emj.bmj.com/content/32/9/722.abstract
AB Introduction Ineffective coping may lead to impaired job performance and burnout, with adverse consequences to staff well-being and patient outcomes. We examined the relationship between coping styles and burnout in emergency physicians, nurses and support staff at seven small, medium and large emergency departments (ED) in a Canadian health region (population 500 000).Methods Linear regression with the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS) and Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) was used to evaluate the effect of coping style on levels of burnout in a cross-sectional survey of 616 ED staff members. CISS measures coping style in three categories: task-oriented, emotion-oriented and avoidance-oriented coping; MBI, in use for 30 years, assesses the level of burnout in healthcare workers.Results Task-oriented coping was associated with decreased risk of burnout, while emotion-oriented coping was associated with increased risk of burnout.Discussion Specific coping styles are associated with varied risk of burnout in ED staff across several different types of hospitals in a regional network. Coping style intervention may reduce burnout, while leading to improvement in staff well-being and patient outcomes. Further studies should focus on building and sustaining task-oriented coping, along with alternatives to emotion-oriented coping.