Burnout is a work-related syndrome characterized by emotional exhaustion, a sense of reduced personal accomplishment and depersonalization that may manifest as negativity, cynicism, and the inability to express empathy or grief. [1][2][3] The term burnout was first used in a medical context by Freudenberger, 4 who described emotional depletion and loss of motivation and commitment that he and others had observed and experienced. Maslach and colleagues 1,3 subsequently noted that the emotional stress human services workers experienced and their coping strategies had important implications for people's professional identity and job behaviour.Burnout adversely affects the quality of care that health care workers provide, and correlates with an increased risk of medical errors, serious safety events, malpractice proceedings, reduced patient satisfaction and worse patient outcomes. [5][6][7][8][9][10] Health care workers are at high risk for mental health issues, including anxiety, depression and suicide. 11,12 Although many studies have focused on the prevalence and causes of burnout and distress in nurses 6,13-15 and physicians, [16][17][18] comparatively fewer studies have addressed these issues among allied health care staff, including pharmacists 19,20 and physical, 21 respiratory 22 and occupational 23,24 therapists. The aim of this research was to measure the prevalence of burnout and overall distress among allied health care staff practising in a cardiovascular centre of a quaternary hospital network.

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