Teamwork and burnout among healthcare workers from a public hospital in Colombia

Introduction. Previous reports have described a relationship between teamwork and burnout in health workers, involving variables associated with patients’ safety. Objective. To determine and describe the relationship between teamwork and burnout perceived by health workers from a tertiary-level hospital in Colombia. Materials and methods. We conducted a cross-sectional, observational, analytical study with a convenience sample of 510 participants. We applied the TeamSTEPPS Teamwork Perceptions Questionnaire and the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory to assess burnout. An additional survey was conducted to collect demographic and employment data. Data was collected digitally. Descriptive analyses were carried out to compare teamwork and burnout across units, by occupation, and according to the average number of hours worked per week. Finally, correlation matrices were calculated with the scores from both tests. Results. Teamwork levels were moderate to high, and 31.4% of workers reported moderate or high levels of burnout. No significant differences were found based on sex or work unit. Results from the TeamSTEPPS Teamwork Perceptions Questionnaire and the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory were correlated with a low and moderate strength of association, showing an inverse relationship between them. Conclusion. Teamwork and burnout may have an inverse relationship, where better teamwork results in a lower perception of burnout among healthcare workers. However, the results of this study should be interpreted with caution due to potential biases.