Work experience, job-fulfillment and burnout among VMMC providers in Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 9; no. 5; p. e84215
• Main Authors: Perry, Linnea, Rech, Dino, Mavhu, Webster, Frade, Sasha, Machaku, Michael D, Onyango, Mathews, Aduda, Dickens S Omondi, Fimbo, Bennett, Cherutich, Peter, Castor, Delivette, Njeuhmeli, Emmanuel, Bertrand, Jane T
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 06.05.2014; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; Adult; AIDS; Analysis; Bivariate analysis; Burnout; Burnout, Professional - epidemiology; Burnout, Professional - psychology; Careers; Circumcision; Circumcision, Male - psychology; Data analysis; Data processing; Environmental monitoring; Fatigue; Female; Health Personnel - psychology; HIV; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Job Satisfaction; Kenya; Male; Medicine; Middle Aged; Physicians; Regression analysis; South Africa; Surveys; Tanzania; Work experience; Work hours; Working conditions; Zimbabwe; South Africa; Zimbabwe; Kenya; Tanzania; Washington DC; United States > US; Louisiana
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0084215

Human resource capacity is vital to the scale-up of voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) services. VMMC providers are at risk of "burnout" from performing a single task repeatedly in a high volume work environment that produces long work hours and intense work effort. The Systematic Monitoring of the Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision Scale-up (SYMMACS) surveyed VMMC providers in Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe in 2011 (n = 357) and 2012 (n = 591). Providers self-reported on their training, work experience, levels of job-fulfillment and work fatigue/burnout. Data analysis included a descriptive analysis of VMMC provider characteristics, and both bivariate and multivariate analyses of factors associated with provider work fatigue/burnout. In 2012, Kenyan providers had worked in VMMC for a median of 31 months compared to South Africa (10 months), Tanzania (15 months), and Zimbabwe (11 months). More than three-quarters (78 - 99%) of providers in all countries in 2012 reported that VMMC is a personally fulfilling job. However, 67% of Kenyan providers reported starting to experience work fatigue/burnout compared to South Africa (33%), Zimbabwe (17%), and Tanzania (15%). Despite the high level of work fatigue/burnout in Kenya, none of the measured factors (i.e., gender, age, full-time versus part-time status, length of service, number of operations performed, or cadre) were significantly associated with work fatigue/burnout in 2011. In 2012, logistic regression found increases in age (p<.05) and number of months working in VMMC (p<.01) were associated with an increased likelihood of experiencing work fatigue/burnout, while higher career total VMMCs decreased the likelihood of experiencing burnout. Given cross-country differences, further elucidation of cultural and other contextual factors that may influence provider burnout is required. Continuing to emphasize the contribution that providers make in the fight against HIV/AIDS is important.