On the “Bubble” of Burnout's Prevalence Estimates

Authors

Eric Laurent, Université Bourgogne - Franche-ComtéFollow
Irvin Sam Schonfeld, CUNY Graduate CenterFollow
Renzo Bianchi, Université de NeuchâtelFollow
Laura Hawryluck, Critical Care Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, CanadaFollow
Peter G. Brindley, Critical Care Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.Follow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2018

Abstract

Hawryluck and Brindley (2018) addressed the issue of burnout—a syndrome thought to be induced by job stress—among critical care medicine (CCM) practitioners. Although we agree that the practice of CCM can be stressful, relying on burnout as an indicator of the practitioners’ response to occupational adversity is unwarranted. Despite its popularity, burnout remains poorly defined. Disconcertingly, investigators have widely relied on the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) for “diagnosing” burnout in spite of the fact that the MBI is not a diagnostic instrument.Experiencing fatigue or distancing oneself from one’ work—what burnout is about—is not necessarily a sign of ill-being in itself. These problems make it impossible to arrive at a diagnosis and estimate burnout's prevalence.

Comments

This work was originally published in Intensive Care Medicine available at doi:10.1007/s00134-018-5084-1.