A narrative review of the physiology and health effects of burnout associated with veterinarian-pertinent occupational stressors

Abstract

Chronic workplace stress and burnout are serious problems in veterinary medicine. Although not classified as a medical condition, burnout can affect sleep patterns and contributes to chronic low grade systemic inflammation, autonomic imbalance, hormonal imbalances and immunodeficiencies, thereby increasing the risks of physical and psychological ill health in affected individuals. Cultural misconceptions in the profession often lead to perceptions of burnout as a personal failure, ideas that healthcare professionals are somehow at lower risk for suffering, and beliefs that affected individuals can or should somehow heal themselves. However, these concepts are antiquated, harmful and incorrect, preventing the design of appropriate solutions for this serious and growing challenge to the veterinary profession. Veterinarians must first correctly identify the nature of the problem and understand its causes and impacts before rational solutions can be implemented. In this first part of two companion reviews, burnout will be defined, pathophysiology discussed, and healthcare and veterinary-relevant occupational stressors that lead to burnout identified.

A comparison between veterinary small animal general practitioners and emergency practitioners in Australia. Part 2: client-related, work-related, and personal burnout

“…“Never” being able to complete all required work within their rostered time was associated with higher work-related burnout scores compared to respondents who were able to do so “always” or for the “majority of the time.” This finding aligns with previous studies that showed unmanageable workload was positively correlated with burnout ( 38 , 56 ). Excessive workload causes spill-over negative effects such as increased sickness presenteeism and inability of veterinarians to take meal-breaks ( 39 , 48 ) (Li et al, in press).…”

“…In a recent Australian study, 61.7% of veterinarians indicated that they were given little or no control over the structure of their workday ( 39 ). A lack of control has been shown to contribute to job strain, anxiety, burnout and depression, especially in high-demand jobs ( 38 , 39 , 56 , 57 ). Conversely, encouraging increased participation in decision-making improved psychological health and absenteeism ( 58 , 59 ).…”

A comparison between veterinary small animal general practitioners and emergency practitioners in Australia. Part 1: demographic and work-related factors

“…Shift work, weekend and public holiday work are unavoidable for emergency practices; therefore, employers should focus on rostering strategies that minimize health and safety risks. Shift duration of 12 h or longer was associated with reduced alertness, increased medical errors and increased risk of burnout and occupational injuries ( 31 , 49 , 50 ). In these studies, the factor most consistently associated with increased injuries was quick return, mostly defined as an interval between shifts of <11 h in duration ( 49 ).…”

“…Our results suggest that GPs work with a more homogenous SES group, where EPs serve clients from a more diverse socioeconomic background. This could mean that EPs are required to vary their approaches more frequently to devise a diagnostic and treatment plan that caters for the diversity of socioeconomic backgrounds they encounter, leading to increased cognitive load ( 31 ). This study showed that EPs were more likely to interact with emotionally distressed clients, deliver negative news, be exposed to more patient death and perform more euthanasia, including economic euthanasia.…”

“…Emergency physicians experience higher levels of burnout compared to other human physicians ( 29 , 30 ), while general practitioners had lower rates of burnout ( 31 ). Burnout was correlated with shift work, sleep disturbances, longer working hours, weekend shift work, work-family conflict and quality of teamwork ( 30 , 32 , 33 ), which may be more prevalent for veterinary emergency practitioners (EPs) than general practitioners (GPs).…”