Burnout and professional fulfillment: Associations with interprofessional communication skills and climate among clinical health professionals.

Abstract

Objective: Effective communication in interprofessional settings is a key modifiable factor in addressing burnout among healthcare professionals. Previous research has paid less attention to the multi-level nature of interprofessional communication. This paper proposes a model explaining how individual-level factors (communication skills and uncertainty tolerance) and group-level factors (teamwork and response to errors) are linked to burnout via professional fulfillment.

Methods: Survey data were gathered from clinical health professionals in a tertiary teaching hospital in the United States. Multivariate linear regression and structural equation models were used to test our hypotheses.

Results: Individual-level communication skills and uncertainty tolerance and group-level teamwork and response to error were positively associated with professional fulfillment, which in turn tempered burnout among clinical professionals.

Conclusions: Enhancing individual communication skills and organizational communication climate are likely to mitigate burnout and enhance fulfillment among clinical professionals.