Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40483463›Full record

ArticleBMC palliative care2025

Behind the care: emotional struggles, burnout, and denial in kazakhstan's professional palliative care workforce.

Byron Crape, Pana Akhmetniyaz, Makpal Akhmetova, Faye Foster, Kaisar Dauyey, Alessandra Clementi, Lyazzat Toleubekova

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC palliative care, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Byron CrapeDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, Nazarbayev University School of Medicine, Astana, Kazakhstan.
Pana AkhmetniyazDepartment of Medicine, Nazarbayev University School of Medicine, Kerey-Zhanibek Khan Street 5/1, Office 924, Astana city, Kazakhstan.
Makpal AkhmetovaDepartment of Medicine, Nazarbayev University School of Medicine, Kerey-Zhanibek Khan Street 5/1, Office 924, Astana city, Kazakhstan.
Faye FosterDepartment of Medicine, Nazarbayev University School of Medicine, Kerey-Zhanibek Khan Street 5/1, Office 924, Astana city, Kazakhstan.
Kaisar DauyeyDepartment of Medicine, Nazarbayev University School of Medicine, Kerey-Zhanibek Khan Street 5/1, Office 924, Astana city, Kazakhstan.
Alessandra ClementiDepartment of Medicine, Nazarbayev University School of Medicine, Kerey-Zhanibek Khan Street 5/1, Office 924, Astana city, Kazakhstan.
Lyazzat ToleubekovaDepartment of Medicine, Nazarbayev University School of Medicine, Kerey-Zhanibek Khan Street 5/1, Office 924, Astana city, Kazakhstan. Lyazzat.toleubekova@nu.edu.kz.

Funding

Nazarbayev University 021220FD2651
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThis exploratory study investigates the emotional impact of palliative care provision among healthcare professionals in resource-limited settings, specifically in Kazakhstan. As a middle-income country with a growing burden of chronic diseases, the palliative care sector in Kazakhstan faces increasing challenges to address burnout.

methodsDue to limited existing knowledge, an exploratory design was adopted, employing grounded theory approach to discover professionals' understanding of their experiences, emotional stressors, and burnout development. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 60 palliative care professionals (41 nurses, 19 physicians) from 4 hospices, 2 PCUs of cancer centers, and 1 nursing department from diverse geographical locations within Kazakhstan. The data collection phase was carried out between May 2021 and July 2022. Analysis focused on identifying stressors leading to burnout and coping mechanisms used by palliative care professionals.

resultsThe study identifies key stressors, including emotional involvement with patients, communication challenges with relatives, witnessing patient frailty and death, lack of personal accomplishment, and emotional labor. A unique finding is the widespread denial of emotional impact among participants, expressed through normalization of work-related stress and suppression of emotions. Through analysis, four key themes were identified as central to the findings: (1) stressors contributing to burnout, (2) denial of emotional impact, (3) coping mechanisms, and (4) attitudes towards seeking psychological help.

conclusionsThe present study has revealed that the denial of emotional impact, along with the downplaying or dismissal of the impact of stress, is a recurring pattern among healthcare workers providing palliative care to terminally ill patients in Kazakhstan. The findings of this study underscore the need for tailored training to address the specific emotional needs of palliative care workers, focusing on effective communication, techniques for emotional regulation, stress management, and self-care practices to help professionals cope with the emotional demands of their work.

Indexed as

Burnout, ProfessionalDenial, PsychologicalHealth PersonnelPalliative CareAdaptation, PsychologicalAdultEmotionsFemaleGrounded TheoryHumansInterviews as TopicKazakhstanMaleMiddle AgedQualitative ResearchBurnoutDenial of emotional impactEmotional impactEnd-of-life careLow-resource settingsNormalization of stressPalliative careStressorsWorkplace stress

Identifiers

PMID40483463
PMCPMC12144686

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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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.