An exploration of employee burnout in the ambulatory care setting

The problem researched was clinical staff burnout in the ambulatory care setting. The purpose of this study was to determine any relationship between burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, personal accomplishment), as measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS), for clinical staff (Licensed Practical Nurses, Registered Nurses, and Medical Assistants) employed in ambulatory care centers in the Western Tennessee area. This study incorporated a cross sectional design that used two cohort groups Group A (N = 73) utilized an electronic medical record system and Group B (N = 83) utilized traditional paper chart documentation. The overall understanding of how healthcare information systems such as an electronic medical record's affect emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment could aid healthcare leaders in the deployment planning and training of the affected staff members. The hypothesis that there is a direct correlation between employee burnout and the use of an electronic medical record in the ambulatory care setting provided the foundation for this study. Through distribution lists provided by the participant's respective organizations, the researcher sent an email inviting them to participate in the research. There was a 32% response rate overall. The survey research was non-experimental cross-sectional in design and was conducted over a 30-day period.