The prevalence and the most significant sources of occupational burnout syndrome amongst anesthetic technicians in Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional survey

AIMS: To detect the prevalence and the most significant sources of occupational burnout syndrome among anesthetic technicians in Saudi Arabia and draw recommendations that can reduce the level of this syndrome.

SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted in a central hospital in Saudi Arabia.

METHODS: Maslach Burnout Inventory and a self-created questionnaire was utilized to survey seventeen anesthesia technicians in order to capture the prevalence and most significant sources of burnout.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Descriptive statistics were utilized to conduct the statistical analysis.

RESULTS: Occupational burnout syndrome has been found in 29%. A level of emotional exhaustion was critically high in 41.2%. Likewise, a level of depersonalization was extremely high in 58.8%, while 76.5% of anesthetic technicians lacked personal accomplishments. There are several sources perceived by anesthetic technicians as the most significant sources of their occupational burnout syndrome. These sources include staff shortage, high workload, occupational hazards, and poor teamwork. However, the limited career pathway of anesthesia technicians seems to be the main predictor.

CONCLUSIONS: A critically high prevalence of occupational burnout syndrome was found among anesthetic technicians, which is the highest among all studies reviewed worldwide. Several recommendations have been made which require urgent implementation into practice in order to protected practitioners' wellbeing and decrease their rate of turnover. These recommendations include implementing physician-led team-based care, provision of training and resources, fostering equity in a workplace and provision of hazard pay.