Burnout and its’ associated factors among health workers: A hospital-based cross-sectional study from Pokhara, Nepal

Background: Health workers’ burnout compromises patient safety and satisfaction, in addition to their own health. Over the last three decades or more, burnout syndrome has been getting more attention. High levels of burnout have been reported by health workers globally, and Nepal is no exception, including those mainly in hospital settings. Despite this, burnout issues have not been given enough attention in the literature. Hence, this study aims to assess the prevalence of burnout among health workers in hospital settings in Pokhara and to assess its’ associated factors (personal, job-related, and work-life balance). Materials and methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional observational study was carried out among 242 health workers from selected hospitals of Pokhara, Kaski, over a period of one month from Sep to Oct, 2024. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire to assess the prevalence of burnout and its’ associated factors. The Oldenburg Burnout Inventory scale was used for assessing the prevalence of burnout. Frequency, percentage, and median were calculated to describe the sample characteristics, whereas, chi-square tests and logistic regression were used to determine the factors associated with burnout. Results: The prevalence of burnout was 61.6%. When subscales were evaluated separately, slightly more than and nearly three-fourths were found to have both high disengagement (76.4%) and high exhaustion (71.9%). Multivariate logistic regression showed that the insufficient sleeping hours at night (aOR: 2.292, 95% CI: 1.193–4.404), poor job satisfaction (aOR: 3.391, 95% CI: 1.286–8.943), and poor work-life balance (aOR: 5.187, 95% CI: 2.600–10.350) were associated with burnout status. Conclusions: Nearly two-thirds of the hospital health workers experienced burnout in Pokhara. Insufficient sleeping duration at night, poor job satisfaction, and poor work-life balance determined the burnout status of health workers. Hospital administrators, policymakers, and health system leaders should prioritize interventions targeting burnout among health workers, which protect work-life balance and improve job satisfaction.