Are Australian oncology health professionals burning out? A view from the trenches Afaf Girgis a , Vibeke Hansen a, * , David Goldstein b a Centre for Health Research and Psycho-oncology, The Cancer Council NSW, University of Newcastle, Hunter Medical Research Institute, Locked Bag 10, Wallsend, NSW 2287, Australia b Department of Medicine UNSW, Department of Medical Oncology, Prince of Wales Hospital, Australia ARTICLE INFO Article history: Received 6 August 2008 Received in revised form 9 September 2008 Accepted 30 September 2008 Keywords: Cancer Oncology Burnout Psychiatric morbidity Health professionals ABSTRACT Objective: To determine the prevalence and predictors of burnout and psychiatric morbidity in the Australian oncology workforce. Method: A cross-sectional nationwide survey was conducted with 740 (56%) members of the Clinical Oncological Society of Australia. Results: High levels of [emotional] exhaustion were present in 32.8% of participants with direct patient contact (DPC), and 26.7% of those with no direct patient contact (NDPC). The main predictors of burnout were dissatisfaction with leave arrangements for the pur- pose of preventing or recovering from burnout, increased hours of patient contact, and per- ceived need for communication skills training. Conclusions: Australian cancer care workers experience considerable occupational distress whilst possessing high levels of personal accomplishment. Regular screening for burnout is recommended with particular focus on those at-risk staff who have a substantial amount of patient contact, neglect to take adequate leave, or who have not attended communica- tion skills training. Ó 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Cancer imposes a significant burden in Australia, with approximately 30,000 deaths and 65,000 new cases diagnosed annually. 1 Increasingly complex cancer care provision can have significant deleterious effects on front-line health care staff, including psychiatric morbidity and professional burn- out 2–4 ; the latter referring to the erosion of emotional or phys- ical strength and professional engagement as a function of a taxing work environment. 5 The clinical importance of burn- out is mediated through increased medical errors 6 , turnover and absenteeism, 7 decreased quality of patient care 8 , patient satisfaction 9 and burnout has a significant impact on the pro- fessional and personal lives of affected personnel. 10 Oncology staff overseas report high levels of burnout and psychological distress 2,11,12 , with reports as high as 56% of US oncologists experiencing an episode of burnout at some stage during their career. 3 Significant predictors of burnout include high workload, 13–17 perceived need for communica- tion skills training 2,18 and a strong perceived interference be- tween work and home life is predictive of job-specific stress. 15,19 The extent of burnout in the Australian oncology work- force is unknown, with only two published studies on oncol- ogy nurses, 20,21 though perceptions suggest high levels. This study reports the prevalence of burnout and psychiatric mor- bidity amongst a range of professional groups who provide or contribute to cancer care and research in Australia; and the demographic and occupational predictors of burnout. We also 0959-8049/$ - see front matter Ó 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.ejca.2008.09.029 * Corresponding author: Tel.: +61 2 4924 6372; fax: +61 2 4924 6208. E-mail address: vibeke.hansen@newcastle.edu.au (V. Hansen). EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CANCER xxx (2008) xxx – xxx available at www.sciencedirect.com journal homepage: www.ejconline.com Please cite this article in press as: Girgis A et al., Are Australian oncology health professionals burning out? A ..., Eur J Cancer (2008), doi:10.1016/j.ejca.2008.09.029 ARTICLE IN PRESS