Professional burnout in doctors: the value of the intensity and quality of the work

Introduction. In Russia, as in other countries, the share of the population engaged in professions in which the leading source of the health risk of workers is organizational and psychogenic causes is continuously increasing. Among them, the leading place is occupied by the physiologically inadequate workload. 

The aim of the research was to establish the relationship patterns of acute and chronic (professional burnout) fatigue with the workload, which was characterized by a combination of the intensity and quality of the work. 

Material and methods. The index used was generalizing the time-weighted average density (N) and temp (T) employment action: I = P∙T. evaluation of the physiological intensity was carried out in the relation to the level obtained for 1, which was made value I=0.84 (a comfortable temp T=1; the share of breaks and pauses in work to 0.16, P=0.84). 

Results. Functional overvoltage in doctors occurs during the working day with the intensity of labor is 1.4-1.5 times higher than the level at which the fatigue they have absent or small. The change in labor productivity (number of admissions, number of bets, etc.) in more than the stated range is only possible due to, changes in the quality of work (saving the physical, mental, emotional effort). Increased physiological labor intensity of doctors is the most common source of the risk to their health. 

Discussion. The most common causes of stress and fatigue including “volume and intensity of work” and “working hours” characterize the level of labor intensity. The factor of “imbalance of effort and reward” is also associated with the intensity of work and health risk. In the case of physical, visual and mental labor, the acute functional overstrain of the worker occurs at a labor intensity 1.4-1.5 times higher than the level at which he has little or no fatigue. The increase in labor productivity in excess of the specified range is possible only due to behavioral adaptations - saving of physical, visual, mental and emotional efforts spent on the fulfillment of a unit of standardized labor, which is inevitably reflected as a result of the activity of the doctor. 

Conclusion. The established quantitative characteristics of the main indices of the workload-the physiological intensity of labor and the length of working time are the starting point for the analysis, prediction and primary prevention of the risk of chronic fatigue and professional burnout of medical workers due to the lack of rest that occurs under working conditions, inadequate recovery ability of the human body.