Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health (Mar 2021)

Harmonized definition of occupational burnout: A systematic review, semantic analysis, and Delphi consensus in 29 countries

  • Irina Guseva Canu,
  • Sandy Carla Marca,
  • Francesca Dell'Oro,
  • Ádám Balázs,
  • Enrico Bergamaschi,
  • Christine Besse,
  • Renzo Bianchi,
  • Jovanka Bislimovska,
  • Adrijana Koscec Bjelajac,
  • Merete Bugge,
  • Carmen Iliana Busneag,
  • Çiğdem Çağlayan,
  • Mariana Cernițanu,
  • Cristiana Costa Pereira,
  • Nataša Dernovšček Hafner,
  • Nadia Droz,
  • Maija Eglite,
  • Lode Godderis,
  • Harald Gündel,
  • Jari J Hakanen,
  • Raluca Maria Iordache,
  • Imane Khireddine-Medouni,
  • Sibel Kiran,
  • Francesca Larese-Filon,
  • Catherine Lazor-Blanchet,
  • Patrick Légeron,
  • Tom Loney,
  • Nicole Majery,
  • Eda Merisalu,
  • Ingrid Sivesind Mehlum,
  • Laurent Michaud,
  • Dragan Mijakoski,
  • Jordan Minov,
  • Alberto Modenese,
  • Marija Molan,
  • Henk van der Molen,
  • Evangelia Nena,
  • Dusan Nolimal,
  • Marina Otelea,
  • Elisabeta Pletea,
  • Nurka Pranjic,
  • David Rebergen,
  • Jelena Reste,
  • Eva Schernhammer,
  • Anny Wahlen

DOI
https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.3935
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 47, no. 2
pp. 95 – 107

Abstract

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OBJECTIVE: A consensual definition of occupational burnout is currently lacking. We aimed to harmonize the definition of occupational burnout as a health outcome in medical research and reach a consensus on this definition within the Network on the Coordination and Harmonisation of European Occupational Cohorts (OMEGA-NET). METHODS: First, we performed a systematic review in MEDLINE, PsycINFO and Embase (January 1990 to August 2018) and a semantic analysis of the available definitions. We used the definitions of burnout and burnout-related concepts from the Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine Clinical Terms (SNOMED-CT) to formulate a consistent harmonized definition of the concept. Second, we sought to obtain the Delphi consensus on the proposed definition. RESULTS: We identified 88 unique definitions of burnout and assigned each of them to 1 of the 11 original definitions. The semantic analysis yielded a first proposal, further reformulated according to SNOMED-CT and the panelists` comments as follows: "In a worker, occupational burnout or occupational physical AND emotional exhaustion state is an exhaustion due to prolonged exposure to work-related problems”. A panel of 50 experts (researchers and healthcare professionals with an interest for occupational burnout) reached consensus on this proposal at the second round of the Delphi, with 82% of experts agreeing on it. CONCLUSION: This study resulted in a harmonized definition of occupational burnout approved by experts from 29 countries within OMEGA-NET. Future research should address the reproducibility of the Delphi consensus in a larger panel of experts, representing more countries, and examine the practicability of the definition.

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