Burnout in Canadian Physiotherapists during COVID 19 - A National Survey

Mark Hall, Okan Bulut, Bruce Dick, Anh Pham, Allyson Jones
Purpose:

The objective of this study was to evaluate pandemic-related burnout and engagement in Canadian physiotherapists.

Methods:

We used purposive, snowball sampling to recruit Canadian physiotherapists to complete an online survey. The survey (English and French) was administered between Sept 2022 and Jan 2023 and included questions related to demographic and practice variables, burnout (Oldenburg Burnout Inventory [OLBI]), and burnout features. Multiple regression analysis examined the impact of burnout features on OLBI constructs (exhaustion and disengagement.)

Results:

Of 679 responses, the mean age was 46.3 (SD 10.5) years. The majority were female (75%) and 53% had dependents. 94% worked in clinical practice, 41% of whom worked in a general hospital and 24% in private practice. The majority (61%) reported a previous COVID infection. The mean number of reported positive strategies (e.g., hobbies, mental care, and reduced work hours) to manage stress was 2.4 (SD1.6) and 0.9 (SD1.1) for negative strategies (e.g., isolation, junk food consumption, and too much screen time). OLBI exhaustion mean score was 51.8 (SD 17.3) and 47.2 (SD 16.0) for disengagement. Female sex, increased years in practice, reported burnout since COVID, and a lower number of positive and negative habits were predictors of exhaustion, while those who reported burnout since COVID and a lower number of positive and negative habits were predictors of disengagement. 31% reported having a workplace program to manage stress or burnout while others indicated no program or did not know whether a program existed. 

Conclusion(s):

Burnout during COVID is significant among physiotherapists with several factors impacting exhaustion and disengagement from work. Several positive strategies to mitigate burnout were reported. However, the majority of physiotherapists did not have access to or did not know about support services at work.

Implications:

As the impacts and consequences of COVID-19 continue and physiotherapists experience workplace stress, more proactive steps are needed to minimize workplace stress and support emotional resilience.

Funding acknowledgements:
Unfunded
Keywords:
Burnout
COVID 19
Survey
Primary topic:
Mental health
Did this work require ethics approval?:
Yes
Name the institution and ethics committee that approved your work:
Health Research Ethics Board, University of Alberta
Provide the ethics approval number:
Pro00123109
Has any of this material been/due to be published or presented at another national or international conference prior to the World Physiotherapy Congress 2025?:
Yes

Back to the listing