Occupational burnout in healthcare workers of medical institutions providing pediatric care in the Moscow Region: data from regional monitoring 2024–2025

Russian-language studies of healthcare worker burnout are predominantly single cross-sectional surveys with 100–300 participants; no regional-scale data on medical institutions providing pediatric care have been published.

Aim. To estimate the prevalence and structural characteristics of occupational burnout among healthcare workers in medical institutions providing pediatric care in the Moscow Region and describe its associations with demographic and occupational characteristics.

Materials and methods. Two independent waves were conducted (September 2024, N = 2047, March 2025, N = 931; total 2978 observations from medical institutions of the Moscow Region providing pediatric care) using the MBI-HSS in the Russian adaptation by N.E. Vodopyanova and E.S. Starchenkova. Mann – Whitney U, Kruskal – Wallis H, Pearson χ² tests and binary logistic regression were used.

Results. High-degree burnout prevalence was 35.4% in September 2024 and 40.1% in March 2025 (χ²(2) = 6.62; p = 0.037). The between-wave increase persisted after adjustment for demographic and occupational covariates (OR = 1.26; 95% CI 1.07–1.48; p = 0.005). Differences between physicians and nursing staff did not reach statistical significance; non-medical personnel showed a protective profile (OR = 0.63; 95% CI 0.40–0.99; p = 0.047). An age gradient emerged only in wave 2: 50.8% of specialists aged 30–39 vs 29.0% of those aged 60+ showed high-degree burnout.

Conclusion. The study provides regional-scale burnout prevalence estimates in pediatric healthcare of the Moscow Region using a design rarely applied in Russian-language burnout research. The 35–40% baseline establishes a reference point for evaluating preventive programs.

1. Shanafelt T.D., West C.P., Dyrbye L.N., et al. Changes in Burnout and Satisfaction With Work-Life Integration in Physicians During the First 2 Years of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Mayo Clin. Proc. 2022; 97 (12): 2248–2258. DOI: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2022.09.002.

2. Kemper K.J., Schwartz A., Wilson P.M., et al. Burnout in Pediatric Residents: Three Years of National Survey Data. Pediatrics. 2020; 145 (1): e20191030. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2019-1030.

3. Rotenstein L.S., Torre M., Ramos M.A., et al. Prevalence of Burnout Among Physicians: A Systematic Review. JAMA. 2018; 320 (11): 1131–1150. DOI: 10.1001/jama.2018.12777.

4. World Health Organization. Burn-out an ‘’occupational phenomenon’’: International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). Geneva: WHO, 2019. URL: https://www.who.int/news/item/28-05-2019-burn-out-an-occupational-phenomenon-international-classification-of-diseases (date of request: 23.04.2026).

5. Vodopyanova N.E., Starchenkova E.S. Burnout Syndrome. Diagnosis and Prevention: Practical Guide. 3rd ed., rev. and enl. Moscow: Yurait, 2017. 343 p. (in Russ.).

6. Buckley L., Berta W., Cleverley K., et al. What is known about paediatric nurse burnout: a scoping review. Hum. Resour. Health. 2020; (18): 9. DOI: 10.1186/s12960-020-0451-8.

7. Pradas-Hernández L., Ariza T., Gómez-Urquiza J.L., et al. Prevalence of burnout in paediatric nurses: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLOS ONE. 2018; 13 (4): e0195039. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0195039.

8. Mingazov A.F., Lukomskiy I.S., Khabibullina L.R., et al. Risk factors of emotional burnout in physicians. Coloproctology. 2022; 21 (4): 60–67 (in Russ.) DOI: 10.33878/2073-7556-2022-21-4-60-67.

9. Kholmogorova A.B., Petrikov S.S., Suroegina A.E., et al. Professional burnout and its factors among healthcare workers involved in providing care to COVID-19 patients at different stages of the pandemic. N.V. Sklifosovsky Journal “Emergency Medical Care”. 2020; 9 (3): 321–337 (in Russ.). DOI: 10.23934/2223-9022-2020-9-3-321-337.

10. Platonova T.A., Golubkova A.A., Sklyar M.S., et al. Emotional burnout of employees of medical organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic: state of the problem and solutions. Bulletin of the Ural State Medical University. 2023; (3): 22–34 (in Russ.).

11. Shanafelt T.D., Hasan O., Dyrbye L.N., et al. Changes in Burnout and Satisfaction With Work-Life Balance in Physicians and Surgeons Relative to the General US Working Population Between 2011 and 2014. Mayo Clin. Proc. 2015; 90 (12): 1600–1613. DOI: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2015.08.023.

12. Shanafelt T.D., West C.P., Sinsky C., et al. Changes in Burnout and Satisfaction With Work-Life Integration in Physicians and the General US Working Population Between 2011 and 2017. Mayo Clin. Proc. 2019; 94 (9): 1681–1694. DOI: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2018.10.023.

13. Butler A.E., Battista K., Leatherdale S.T., et al. A comparison of repeat cross-sectional and longitudinal results from the COMPASS study. Int. J. Soc. Res. Methodol. 2022; 25 (5): 597–609. DOI: 10.1080/13645579.2021.1922804.

14. Firebaugh G. Analyzing Repeated Surveys. Sage University Paper. Quantitative Applications in the Social Sciences, No. 07-115. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, 1997. 80 p. DOI: 10.4135/9781412983396.

15. Steel D. Repeated Cross-Sectional Design. In: Lavrakas P.J. (ed.) Encyclopedia of Survey Research Methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, 2008. P. 714–716. DOI: 10.4135/9781412963947.n465.

16. Martin S.R., Heyming T., Morphew T., et al. Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric healthcare burnout in acute care: a longitudinal study. Pediatr. Res. 2023; 94 (5): 1771–1778. DOI: 10.1038/s41390-023-02674-3.

17. Grace M.K., VanHeuvelen J.S. Occupational variation in burnout among medical staff: Evidence for the stress of higher status. Soc. Sci. Med. 2019; (232): 199–208. DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.05.007.

18. Hill C., Justo S., Park H., et al. Pediatric Provider and Staff Burnout in Federally Qualified Community Health Centers. J. Ambul. Care Manage. 2023; 46 (4): 265–271. DOI: 10.1097/JAC.0000000000000472.

19. Profit J., Sharek P.J., Amspoker A.B., et al. Burnout in the NICU setting and its relation to safety culture. BMJ Qual. Saf. 2014; 23 (10): 806–813. DOI: 10.1136/bmjqs-2014-002831.

20. Starmer A.J., Frintner M.P., Freed G.L. Work-Life Balance, Burnout, and Satisfaction of Early Career Pediatricians. Pediatrics. 2016; 137 (4): e20153183. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2015-3183.

21. Schaufeli W.B., Desart S., De Witte H. Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT) – Development, Validity, and Reliability. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health. 2020; 17 (24): 9495. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17249495.

22. Bianchi R., Schonfeld I.S., Laurent E. Burnout-depression overlap: A review. Clin. Psychol. Rev. 2015; (36): 28–41. DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2015.01.004.

23. Hodkinson A., Zhou A., Johnson J., et al. Associations of physician burnout with career engagement and quality of patient care: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ. 2022; (378): e070442. DOI: 10.1136/bmj-2022-070442.

24. Tawfik D.S., Scheid A., Profit J., et al. Evidence Relating Health Care Provider Burnout and Quality of Care: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Ann. Intern. Med. 2019; 171 (8): 555–567. DOI: 10.7326/M19-1152.

25. Leiter M.P., Maslach C. Areas of worklife: A structured approach to organizational predictors of job burnout. In: Perrewé P.L., Ganster D.C. (eds.) Research in Occupational Stress and Well-being. Vol. 3. Bingley: Emerald, 2004. P. 91–134. DOI: 10.1016/S1479-3555(03)03003-8.