Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27785668›Full record

SynthesisJournal of general internal medicine2017

The Relationship Between Professional Burnout and Quality and Safety in Healthcare: A Meta-Analysis.

Michelle P Salyers, Kelsey A Bonfils, Lauren Luther, Ruth L Firmin, Dominique A White, Erin L Adams, Angela L Rollins

3 registry-linked trialsOpen access · bronzeAbstract readMeta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of general internal medicine, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 3 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 346 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
346citing papers in PubMed, 7 pooled it
65.9field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT03746574 nacompletednot on this map

Achieving the Quadruple Aim by Reducing Burnout: A Randomized Trial of a Compassion Based Curriculum for Outpatient Teams

TypeinterventionalSponsorProvidence Health & ServicesRan2016 to 2016Enrolled341ConditionsBurnout, ProfessionalArmsCompassion Curriculum
NCT04373382 naunknown statusnot on this mapstarted 2020, after this paper: background citation

Peer Champion Support for Hospital Staff During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic

TypeinterventionalSponsorMount Sinai Hospital, CanadaRan2020 to 2023Enrolled882ConditionsBurnoutArmsPeer Resilience Champion, Enriched Survey Feedback
NCT07053111 naactive not recruitingnot on this mapstarted 2025, after this paper: background citation

The Counselor Led Resident Wellness Study

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of Nevada, RenoRan2025 to 2026Enrolled21ConditionsBurnout, Healthcare Workers, Anxiety, Wellness Program, Depression Not Otherwise SpecifiedArmsWellness Intervention
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

346 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 814 citations in OpenAlex.

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  20. The Future of Resident Unionization.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2026
    Article

286 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Michelle P SalyersDepartment of Psychology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, 402 N. Blackford Street, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA. mpsalyer@iupui.edu.
Kelsey A BonfilsDepartment of Psychology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, 402 N. Blackford Street, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.
Lauren LutherDepartment of Psychology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, 402 N. Blackford Street, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.
Ruth L FirminDepartment of Psychology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, 402 N. Blackford Street, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.
Dominique A WhiteDepartment of Psychology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, 402 N. Blackford Street, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.
Erin L AdamsDepartment of Psychology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, 402 N. Blackford Street, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.
Angela L RollinsDepartment of Psychology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, 402 N. Blackford Street, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.
Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis · USRichard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundHealthcare provider burnout is considered a factor in quality of care, yet little is known about the consistency and magnitude of this relationship. This meta-analysis examined relationships between provider burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment) and the quality (perceived quality, patient satisfaction) and safety of healthcare.

methodsPublications were identified through targeted literature searches in Ovid MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Web of Science, CINAHL, and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses through March of 2015. Two coders extracted data to calculate effect sizes and potential moderators. We calculated Pearson's r for all independent relationships between burnout and quality measures, using a random effects model. Data were assessed for potential impact of study rigor, outliers, and publication bias.

resultsEighty-two studies including 210,669 healthcare providers were included. Statistically significant negative relationships emerged between burnout and quality (r = -0.26, 95 % CI [-0.29, -0.23]) and safety (r = -0.23, 95 % CI [-0.28, -0.17]). In both cases, the negative relationship implied that greater burnout among healthcare providers was associated with poorer-quality healthcare and reduced safety for patients. Moderators for the quality relationship included dimension of burnout, unit of analysis, and quality data source. Moderators for the relationship between burnout and safety were safety indicator type, population, and country. Rigor of the study was not a significant moderator. DISCUSSION: This is the first study to systematically, quantitatively analyze the links between healthcare provider burnout and healthcare quality and safety across disciplines. Provider burnout shows consistent negative relationships with perceived quality (including patient satisfaction), quality indicators, and perceptions of safety. Though the effects are small to medium, the findings highlight the importance of effective burnout interventions for healthcare providers. Moderator analyses suggest contextual factors to consider for future study.

Indexed as

Clinical CompetenceQuality of Health CareBurnout, ProfessionalHealth PersonnelHumansPatient SafetyPatient Satisfactionburnouthealthcare outcomesmeta-analysisquality of care

Identifiers

PMID27785668
PMCPMC5377877
OpenAlexW2543998875

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.