Predictors of burnout among midwives working at public hospitals in northwest Ethiopia, 2022: A multi-centred study.

ABSTRACT

PROBLEM: Midwives are susceptible to burnout due to the physically and emotionally demanding nature of their job. Burnout is an occupational phenomenon with far-reaching consequences. AIM: This study aimed to assess the magnitude of burnout and predictors among midwives working at public hospitals in northwest Ethiopia. METHODS: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted from February 7 to April 30, 2022. A simple random sampling method was employed to include 640 study participants. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire, entered into Epi-data 4.6 software, and exported to SPSS version 25 for analysis. A multivariable linear regression analysis model was fitted to identify factors contributing to midwives' burnout. FINDINGS: The overall prevalence of midwives' burnout was 55.3 % (95 % CI = 51.7-58.9). The prevalence of personal, work-related, and client-related burnout was 58.3 %, 60.3 %, and 55.5 %, respectively. Factors that were significantly associated with burnout includes workplace violence (ß = 5.02, CI 2.90, 7.13), not receiving training (ß = 4.32 CI 1.81, 6.80), being exposed to blood and body fluids or needle stick injuries (ß = 5.13 CI 3.12, 7.13), low superior support (ß = 5.13 CI 1.94, 5.30), working in tertiary hospitals (ß = 12.77 CI 9.48, 16.06), and job rotation of six months or less (ß = 16.75, CI 13.12, 20.39). CONCLUSION: This study found that the prevalence of burnout among midwives was significantly high. Addressing burnout requires implementing effective burnout prevention measures including enhancing management support, offering professional training, creating a conducive working environment, and adhering to standard precautions.