Since February 24, 2022, around 80 medical rehabilitation centers have been created, updated, or restored in Ukraine. These centers specialize in the recovery, prosthetics, and rehabilitation of severely injured individuals.
Healthcare professionals in these facilities — physiatrists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, psychologists, social workers, and nursing staff — experience constant emotional stress and often face professional burnout.
In 2024, based on the Ukrainian network of rehabilitation centers RECOVERY, in collaboration with the Charitable Foundation for Psychological Support in Crisis Situations “Ankora” and in partnership with the Ukrainian Association of Organizational Psychologists and Labor Psychologists (UAOPPP), we conducted a study titled “Features of Psycho-Emotional Burnout among rehabilitation teams Engaging with Military Personnel After Injuries.” We are publishing the findings, conclusions, and recommendations of the authors of this document.
Key Research Findings
Extent of Burnout and Its Consequences
Most specialists reported experiencing burnout, with a significant portion (23% to 48% across various burnout components) showing high levels. About one-third (31.9% to 38%) reported moderate levels, while 20.1% to 43.7% had low levels.
Burnout affects professionals in various ways, leading to:
- Reduction of professional achievements (48%)
- Emotional exhaustion (33.3%)
- Depersonalization (23.3%)
Depersonalization is a psychological phenomenon characterized by a sense of detachment from oneself, often feeling like an “automatic” being without genuine emotional involvement.
Factors Influencing Burnout Levels
The authors identified several factors impacting burnout levels, including:
- Work engagement
- Organizational commitment
- Death anxiety
- Subjective well-being
- Socio-demographic characteristics
Most respondents reported average levels of work engagement and organizational commitment. Those with higher engagement (22.3% to 25.2%) and commitment (11.6% to 29.6%) exhibited lower burnout levels.
Each type of organizational commitment has a distinct impact on specific burnout components:
- Pragmatic commitment reduces emotional exhaustion and depersonalization.
- Commitment from a sense of duty lowers depersonalization.
- Emotional commitment decreases the reduction of professional obligations.
Death anxiety is another significant factor, with high and moderate levels reported by 29.1% and 41.4% of respondents, respectively, exacerbating emotional exhaustion and professional obligation reduction.
According to the study, low subjective well-being prevails among specialists, with only 17.3% reporting high levels, while 39.2% are at average and 43.5% at low levels. Subjective well-being is defined as a person’s emotional evaluation of their life and relationships.
The authors also highlight that older, unmarried individuals living in regional centers experience increased emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, along with heightened professional achievement reduction with age.
Nearly a third of respondents proposed improvements for the medical rehabilitation centers, categorized into three groups:
- Increasing staff salaries (54.9%)
- Enhancing functional responsibilities and professional training (17.1% to 22.0%)
- Improving working conditions (3.7% to 12.2%)
Salary influence on emotional exhaustion was not found.
General Conclusions
Similar or even more complex issues are widespread in all rehabilitation centers working with severely injured patients, with slightly better conditions in private centers compared to public ones.
This RECOVERY study represents a crucial step towards enhancing rehabilitation center operations, improving both psychological health and staff efficiency. The level of burnout among rehabilitation center employees indicates that addressing burnout prevention and resolution should be a key focus in management and organizational processes.
Fortunately, most factors, except for age, can be gradually improved, positively impacting patient care quality. Analyzing these factors and their interrelations, we can already identify specific tools to combat burnout:
- Educational programs to enhance staff subjective well-being
- Staff support programs
- Initiatives to increase work engagement
- Listening to team suggestions