Risk of burnout syndrome among Polish self - employed osteopaths

Abstract

Burnout syndrome is considered an occupational phenomenon present among numerous professions. Although widely explored among various healthcare professions, limited data exist on osteopaths, particularly those working on a self-employed terms. This master’s thesis purpose was to explore the risk of the burnout among Polish selfemployed osteopaths, aiming to stress the importance of education and raising awareness in the field of a psychological self-care in this occupational group. A quantitative cross-sectional study was implemented. Burnout risk was assessed using Maslach Burnout Inventory – Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS). 50 Polish selfemployed osteopaths with at least three years of professional experience were invited to participate; 43 completing the survey (response rate: 86%). Statistical analyses was done using IBM SPSS Statistics 30. 55.8% of participants reported low levels of emotional exhaustion, 67,4% low levels of depersonalization and 62.8% high personal accomplishment, indicating generally low levels of burnout risk. However 18.6% showed high emotional exhaustion levels, 14% high depersonalization and 14% scored low in personal accomplishment, indicating the subgroup at increased burnout risk. No statistically significant differences were found across gender, years of experience, or patient group. The results indicate that the overall levels of burnout among self-employed Polish osteopaths is low to moderate, though some participants fall into the high-risk category. This highlight the need for educational initiatives to raise the awareness and promote psychological self-care within the profession.