An analysis of the exposure to violence and burnout levels of ambulance staff

Abstract

Objective: Ambulance workers experiences some of the highest risks of job-related violence. This descriptive study was conducted to analyze the exposure to violence and burnout levels of ambulance workers in Turkey.

Method: The research was conducted via web survey with the ambulance staff. The sampling size was 143 ambulance workers who participate in this study. A 30-item questionnaire and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) were used to collect data.

Results: In study, 58.7% of respondents were female; 57.3% were paramedics. 86.5% of respondents were exposed to verbal abuse, and 35% of them were exposed to physical violence. Swearing and yelling were the most common forms of verbal abuse whereas pushing and throwing objects were the most common forms of physical violence. 47.3% of the physical violence cases were reported. In the sampling, MBI scores indicated that the mean Depersonalization subscale score was X = 7.97 ± 3.82; Emotional Exhaustion subscale score was X = 12.07 ± 6.57; and Personal Accomplishment subscale score was X = 9.16 ± 5.14. Significant differences were determined in MBI scores (p < 0.05) based on the independent variables such as gender, age, profession and exposure to verbal abuse.

Conclusions: Exposure to violence in ambulance staff is compatible with the literature, exposure to verbal violence is one of the significant factors associated with burnout, and paramedics have a higher level of burnout.