Hospital workers suffer role overload, study by Professor Linda Duxbury finds

A new study, co-authored by Professor Linda Duxbury, reveals that one in three hospital workers is at risk of burnout due to the dramatically increasing complexity and intensity of their work.

Funded by the Workplace Safety and Insurance board, the study was conducted at four Ottawa hospitals (The Ottawa Hospital, Queensway-Carleton, Montfort and Royal Ottawa) and is the first in-depth investigation of “role overload” in Canada’s healthcare system. The research consisted of a survey of 1,396 employees, along with in-depth interviews with 150 health-care workers and seven focus groups of specific types of employees.

The study found hospital workers are suffering from unsustainable levels of stress and role overload. Hours of work were not found to be the main cause of overload; however, multiple competing priorities, unrealistic deadlines and expectations, and a lack of help and support all contribute to the issue.

Christopher Higgins from the University of Western Ontario and Sean Lyons from the University of Guelph, along with Duxbury, made up the research team of this study.

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