Burnout and Turnover Intention in Critical Care Professionals During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan: A Cross-sectional Survey

Abstract

Rationale

The prevalence of burnout among critical care professionals during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic varies in different countries.

Objectives

To investigate the prevalence of burnout and turnover intention in Japanese critical care professionals in March 2021.

Methods

This cross-sectional study used a web-based survey of Japanese critical care professionals working in 15 intensive care units in 15 prefectures. Burnout was measured using the Mini Z 2.0 Survey. Intention to leave (turnover intention) was assessed by survey. Resilience was measured using the Brief Resilience Scale (Japanese version). Demographics and personal and workplace characteristics were also collected.

Results

Of 1,205 critical care professionals approached, 936 (77.6%) completed the survey. Among these, 24.3%, 20.6%, and 14.2% reported symptoms of burnout, depression, and anxiety, respectively. A total of 157 respondents (16.8%) reported turnover intention. On multivariate analysis, higher resilience scores (odds ratio [OR], 0.90; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.84–0.95; and OR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.91–0.96) and perceived support from the hospital (OR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.44–0.93; and OR, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.40–0.73) were associated with a lower odds of burnout and turnover intention, respectively.

Conclusions

Approximately 24% and 17% of the Japanese critical care professionals surveyed had symptoms of burnout and turnover intention from critical care, respectively, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Such professionals require organizational support to cultivate both individual and organizational resilience to reduce burnout and turnover intention.