The Problem of Professional Stress and Emotional Burnout of Medical Staff in Pediatric Oncology and Hematology

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to highlight the state of the problem of professional stress and burnout of medical and social professionals working in pediatric oncology/hematology. The authors review the problems and results of researches (reflected in modern international literature), taking into account the specifics of this field of medicine, which significantly determine the prevalence and high level of emotional burnout among specialists. The problems and difficulties of investigating this topic are analyzed. The selected groups of factors leading to burnout are described. A special attention is given to demographic, individual psychological, cultural and organizational factors. Special phenomena are described related to the content of the work of different specialists in pediatric oncology/hematology (moral distress, re-traumatization, compassion fatigue and satisfaction, mourning) and the difference in the level of burnout. The article also analyzes the results of applying various programs and areas of psychosocial assistance for specialists in this difficult field of medicine, including organizational measures, training and development of special skills, group psychological support. Many of them are proved to be highly effective in this difficult area of medicine both for preventing burnout and reducing the already existing level of professional stress.