Burnout, psychiatric morbidity, and work-related sources of stress in paediatric oncology staff: a review of the literature

S Mukherjee, B Beresford, A Glaser, P Sloper

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Objective: A growing body of research suggests that staff working in adult oncology services are at risk of burnout and psychiatric morbidity, but whether or not these findings can be generalised to staff working in paediatric oncology is questionable. This paper reports the findings of a comprehensive review of the literature on burnout, psychiatric morbidity, and sources of work-related stress in paediatric oncology staff.

Methods: Electronic searches of MEDLINE and PSYCHINFO. This was followed by a screening process, during which papers where checked against inclusion and exclusion criteria, and the quality of study reporting was assessed. Information about the study design and methods was then extracted from each paper so that the methodological quality could be critiqued.

Results: Ten studies meeting the review inclusion criteria were identified. No studies were identified which compared paediatric and adult oncology staff. Research on paediatric oncology staff has failed to use the well-established standardised measures of burnout and psychiatric morbidity employed in studies of adult oncology staff. There is some qualitative evidence to suggest paediatric oncology nurses experience a unique, additional set of stressors not encountered by colleagues in adult oncology services.

Conclusion: The evidence on stress and burnout in paediatric oncology staff is extremely limited. In order to devise appropriate and effective interventions to support staff, we need to have a much better understanding of the level of burnout and psychiatric morbidity experienced by all members of the paediatric oncology multi-disciplinary team, as well as the factors that contribute to these experiences. Copyright (C) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1019-1028
Number of pages10
JournalPsycho-Oncology
Volume18
Issue number10
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2009

Keywords

  • burnout
  • work-related stressors
  • psychiatric morbidity
  • paediatric oncology staff
  • cancer services
  • CANCER CARE WORKERS
  • HOSPITAL CONSULTANTS
  • DYING CHILDREN
  • MENTAL-HEALTH
  • NURSES EXPERIENCES
  • JOB-SATISFACTION
  • PATIENT-CARE
  • MODEL

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