Work-Related Burnout Dominates Among Anesthesia Personnel: A Comparative Analysis of Burnout Dimensions in Iraqi Hospitals

Dayekh, Hassan; Shamsi, Afzal; Mueen Mudhereher, Mustafa; Amere, Fateme; Shahidi Delshad, Elham

doi:10.22087/ijac.2026.595054.1118

Work-Related Burnout Dominates Among Anesthesia Personnel: A Comparative Analysis of Burnout Dimensions in Iraqi Hospitals

Document Type : Research

Authors

Hassan Dayekh ¹

Afzal Shamsi ²

Mustafa Mueen Mudhereher ³

Fateme Amere ²

Elham Shahidi Delshad ¹

¹ Department of Anesthesia, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

² Department of Anesthesia, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

³ Al-Safir Imam Al-Hussein Surgical Hospital, Karbala, Iraq.

10.22087/ijac.2026.595054.1118

Abstract

Occupational burnout is a significant concern among anesthesia personnel; however, the relative prominence of its dimensions, personal, work-related, and client-related, remains underexplored in resource-constrained settings. This study aimed to compare these dimensions among anesthesia staff in Iraqi hospitals and determine which was the most prevalent. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 150 anesthesia staff recruited from five public and teaching hospitals in Karbala, Iraq. Burnout was assessed using the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory. Paired-samples t-tests with Bonferroni correction (α = 0.0167) were used to compare dimensions, and effect sizes were calculated using Cohen's d. Work-related burnout demonstrated the highest mean score (M = 42.76, SD = 18.37), followed by personal (M = 36.47, SD = 17.04) and client-related (M = 33.40, SD = 16.72). Work-related burnout was significantly higher than personal (mean difference = 6.30, p = 0.001, d = 0.277) and client-related burnout (mean difference = 9.37, p < 0.001, d = 0.412). No significant difference was observed between personal and client-related burnout (p = 0.064). The sample was predominantly young (62.7% aged 20–29 years) and early-career (54.0% with 1–5 years of experience). In conclusion, work‑related burnout is the dominant dimension among anesthesia staff in Iraqi hospitals. Organizational interventions targeting workload, shift scheduling, and supervisory support may be more effective than individual‑focused strategies in addressing burnout in this population.

Keywords

Burnout

Anesthesia

Work-related burnout

Iraq

Healthcare workers

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