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Burnout prevention team-process evaluation of an organizational health intervention

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Abstract

Aim

The present study focuses on the implementation and evaluation of the organizational intervention “Burnout Prevention Team” (BPT). The BPT relies on a standardized procedure and is theoretically based on the Areas of Worklife—an emprical framework of well-established work-related factors that evidently induce job burnout.

Subjects and methods

To evaluate BPT, the process of intervention implementation was examined drawing on an evidence-based model of process evaluation with the focus on inititation, activities, and implementation strategies.

Results

BPT was conducted in nine health care institutions. Results emphasize the relevance of ensuring management support as well as developing a sound communication and information strategy within the initiation phase. Regarding intervention activities, providing employees with knowledge about the burnout concept and trigger factors turned out to be an essential prerequisite for developing successful intervention solutions. Overall, in each institution 7 to 12 solutions to institution-specific problems were developed. Approximately 1 year after the solutions were launched at least 70% were partially or completely implemented.

Conclusion

The general high implementation rate suggests that the BPT can be proposed as a successful example for an organizational-focused approach that should be highly exportable to other health care institutions.

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Notes

  1. According to § 87b SGB XI, there is an additional group of employees (“Alltagsbegleiter,” trained support carers) in German elderly care institutions. Their task is to support residence in managing everyday life (e.g., play games, make music, exercises, reading) and give a sense of security and orientation.

  2. N = 67, 14 participants did not complete the pre-assessment questionnaire.

  3. Forty-nine BPT members answered questions on the feedback questionnaire; four participants, who attended < 50% of the BPT sessions, were excluded from the analyses.

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Acknowledgements

Heartfelt thanks to all participants in the study, whose enthusiasm continues to inspire us.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Health and Healthcare Sciences, Westsächsische Hochschule Zwickau, University of Applied Sciences, Zwickau, Germany

    Gabriele Buruck

  2. School of Science, Faculty of Psychology, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany

    Anne Tomaschek

  3. Department of Psychology, University of Freiburg, Breisgau, Germany

    Sarah S. Lütke-Lanfer

Authors
  1. Gabriele Buruck
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  2. Anne Tomaschek
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  3. Sarah S. Lütke-Lanfer
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gabriele Buruck.

Ethics declarations

The study was funded by the Gesundheitskasse für Sachsen und Thüringen (AOK Plus, Prof. Richter) and was partly supported by the Berufsgenossenschaft für Gesundheitsdienst und Wohlfahrtspflege (BGW Dresden). All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Conflict of interest

Gabriele Buruck declares that she has no conflict of interest. Anne Tomaschek declares that he has no conflict of interest. Sarah Lütke-Lanfer declares that he has no conflict of interest.

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Buruck, G., Tomaschek, A. & Lütke-Lanfer, S.S. Burnout prevention team-process evaluation of an organizational health intervention. J Public Health (Berl.) 27, 743–754 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-018-0999-0

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