Burnout in orthopaedic physical therapists.

Few studies exist about burnout in physical therapists. No research is available on burnout in orthopaedic therapists. The purpose of this study was to determine if burnout exists in this group and if a relationship exists between burnout scores and selected variables. Members of the Orthopaedic Section of the American Physical Therapy Association from the east north central region of the United States were sent a survey consisting of demographic questions and the Maslach Burnout Inventory. The return rate was 38.7%. Burnout levels were low to moderate depending on the grouping used to examine the data. All of the variables examined (eg., years as a physical therapist, number of patients seen per day) showed very low correlations with subscale scores. Further research is needed to identify those at most risk for burnout and to find effective strategies for its prevention.