Burnout as a systemic challenge: job demands, loss cycles and the need for a workforce strategy

Abstract

Burnout is conceptualised as a phenomenon that is related specifically to the occupational context. Burnout was first introduced in 1974 and is now a recognised occupational risk for many healthcare workers, including nurses and midwives.7,8 Burnout is defined in the World Health Organization International Classification of Disease 11thRevision (ICD-11) as a syndrome that results from “chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed”.9The inclusion of burnout in the ICD underscores the importance of monitoring its prevalence and responding with appropriate intervention. Also, its definition reinforces that time is a critical factor; there must be chronic stress in place in order to create burnout.