Prevalence of burnout and associated moderator factors among emergency medical services personnel: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND

IMPORTANCE

Occupational conditions inherent to emergency medical services (EMS) place EMS personnel, including paramedics, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), and firefighters, at increased risk of burnout. Persistent occupational stressors further contribute to burnout, with implications for workforce well-being and quality of care.

OBJECTIVES

To estimate the prevalence of burnout and associated moderator factors among EMS personnel using meta-analysis.

DESIGN, SETTINGS, AND

PARTICIPANTS

Meta-analysis of observational studies. Databases: Ovid-Medline, Web of Science, Embase, Scopus, and PubMed. Population: 32 841 EMS personnel.

INTERVENTION OR EXPOSURE: Burnout.

OUTCOME MEASURE AND ANALYSIS: The study outcome was the prevalence of burnout. Raw prevalence estimates were summarized using range, median, and interquartile range (IQR). Pooled prevalence and prediction interval were reported with proportions and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). Between-study heterogeneity was determined by τ2 and I2 statistics, and moderator analysis explored associated moderator factors. All analyses were conducted using a generalized linear mixed model in R software version 4.4.3.

MAIN

RESULTS

A total of 35 studies were included. The raw prevalence of burnout ranged from 5.3 to 88.8% (median: 36.7%, IQR: 29.1-56.2%). The pooled prevalence was estimated at 40% (95% CI: 33-49%, 95% prediction interval: 9-82%), indicating between-study variability. Among the subtypes, low emotional exhaustion (38%) was most prevalent, followed by high personal accomplishment (35%), and high depersonalization (32%). Personal-related burnout (45%) was most prevalent, followed by work-related burnout (39%) and patient-related burnout (19%). Mixed EMS personnel (52%) had the highest prevalence of burnout, followed by paramedics (41%), EMTs (36%), and firefighters (19%).

CONCLUSION

Burnout is commonly reported among EMS personnel, although prevalence varies substantially across settings. Early assessment of burnout may help strengthen mental health support, EMS system-level interventions, and workforce well-being.