Burnout among care workers in long-term care institutions: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Care workers play a fundamental role in delivering care services in long-term care institutions. Burnout has been found to have a negative impact on care recipients and organisations providing care. Little is known about the key factors associated with care workers' burnout. This systematic review aims to explore the prevalence, severity and correlates of burnout among care workers before and during COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A five-stage framework outlined by Whittemore and Knafl will be used. The following databases will be used to identify relevant literature, including Medline (PubMed), EMBASE, Cochrane library, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Scopus and Web of Science. RevMan will be used to assist the meta-analysis. Heterogeneity of the included studies will be tested using the I 2 test. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION No ethics approval is required as this study only involves secondary data analysis. The findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at relevant conferences. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER CRD42024499178.