Open research questions in Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout

What the literature leaves open

• The Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA) conducted national trainee wellbeing surveys in 2017 and 2019.2,40 This study serves as an index measure of composite wellbeing in South African anaesthesia trainees. Similar work at regular intervals should be undertaken in the future in order to track burnout, depressive symptoms and occupational stress trends over time. These future studies will also be able to guide and evaluate workplace interventions aimed at promoting trainee wellbeing.

  AWARE: Anaesthesia trainee wellbeing at respective educational institutions: A national prospective study of burnout, depressive symptoms and occupational stress · 2026 · DOI

• Furthermore, our study may be limited by the lack of assessment of factors known to impact sleep quality, such as nighttime social media usage and duration of screen exposure. 85 Pelin Göksel, Miraç Barış Usta The literature contains few studies on the connection between FoMO and work productivity. Reviewing the literature reveals inconsistent findings regarding the correlation between sleep quality and FoMO.

  PHYSICIANS' SLEEP QUALITY AND WORK PRODUCTIVITY: FOMO AS A MEDIATOR · 2026 · DOI

• Objectives: Patient safety culture (PSC) is a critical organizational determinant of health care quality and workforce well-being; however, its longitudinal relationship with emotional exhaustion across clinical contexts remains unclear.

  Divergent 5-Year Trajectories of Emotional Exhaustion in Internal Medicine and Surgery: Longitudinal Associations With Patient Safety Culture · 2026 · DOI

• Future research should consider larger and more diverse samples to validate and refine the proposed conceptual model. Program evaluation research is warranted to assess the efficacy of targeted interventions, such as enhanced supervisor training or ways to build structured support systems early on.

  A grounded theory of burnout and success stories in psychology graduate school · 2026 · DOI

• One limitation of the threshold method for classifying burnout profiles is that it may 123 Business Systems Research | Vol.

  Burnout Dimensions among Corporate Employees in Croatia: Differences by Gender, Working Hours, Job Position, and Company Size · 2026 · DOI

• Strengths This study has several noteworthy strengths. First, it addresses a highly relevant yet underexplored topic in occupational health research: burnout among firefighters. The review was conducted following international standards (PRISMA 2020) and included a Burnout in Firefighters 10 robust methodological quality assessment using the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist. Conceptually, the analysis is grounded in well-established theoretical frameworks such as the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, allowing for a multilevel and structured understanding of the phenomenon. Finally, this review highlights important gaps in the literature (such as the underrepresentation of women and the lack of studies from certain geographical areas) which adds value for guiding future research and preventive strategies.

  Burnout in Firefighters: A Systematic Review and Quantitative Synthesis of the Scientific Literature · 2026 · DOI

• One of the main limitations of this study is the predominance of cross-sectional designs among the included articles, which precludes the establishment of causal relationships between variables. Furthermore, the heterogeneity of burnout measurement instruments impedes direct comparison of results and limits the feasibility of conducting meta-analyses. Additionally, the substantial methodological and conceptual heterogeneity observed across the included studies (in terms of measurement tools, operationalisation of key variables—e.g., job demands, coping, emotional intelligence—and sample composition) made it unfeasible to perform a meta-analysis with adequate comparability and statistical validity. This limitation was the main reason for conducting a total effects analysis instead, as it allowed for a more consistent synthesis of the available evidence despite the heterogeneity of study designs. The language restriction constitutes another limitation, as only studies published in Spanish and English were included. This inevitably introduces a geographical bias, excluding relevant research published in other languages (e.g., Korean or Portuguese) that met the inclusion criteria but were omitted due to language barriers. Additionally, the underrepresentation of women in this occupational group, given the specific characteristics of the limits a profession, restricts the gender-based analysis and comprehensive understanding of burnout among female firefighters. The exclusion of grey literature was a deliberate methodological choice aimed at ensuring the inclusion of studies with higher methodological rigor. However, this decision may have constrained the breadth of the review by omitting recent or context-specific findings that are not published in peer-reviewed journals.

  Burnout in Firefighters: A Systematic Review and Quantitative Synthesis of the Scientific Literature · 2026 · DOI

• Several limitations should be considered. First, although no significant publication bias was detected, the restriction to Englishlanguage articles and omission of gray literature could have introduced such bias. Second, because all included studies were conducted in high-income and middle-income countries, our findings may not reflect the conditions specific to low-income countries. Third, all included studies employed cross-sectional designs, which preclude causal inferences regarding the identified moderators. Fourth, all included studies employed convenience FIGURE 3 Funnel plot. direct or indirect exposure to traumatic events (12). Emergency nurses, who endure chronic high stress and heavy emotional loads, are more frequently exposed to life-threatening emergencies, patient deaths, distressed relatives, and workplace violence than nurses in general clinical settings, thereby significantly contributing to a substantially increased risk of STS (13, 21). In this study, a broader range of nursing populations (emergency department, intensive care unit, pediatrics, and oncology nurses) was encompassed across the 28 included observational studies, thereby yielding a lower pooled prevalence of STS. However, the pooled STS prevalence of 57.3% still suggested that STS is a common occupational psychological distress in nurses, necessitating considerable attention from nursing administrators. Therefore, regular screening for STS should be implemented among nurses, who should also be encouraged to voluntarily report their emotional condition. Moreover, targeted interventions, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness-based stress reduction, peer support programs, and resilience training, should be provided to alleviate their STS symptoms (22). In subgroup analysis and meta-regression, publication year and geographic region were observed to be associated with the pooled prevalence of STS in nurses. Specifically, the prevalence of STS among nurses was highest during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, which is consistent with the findings of previous studies. The COVID-19 pandemic was a global public health crisis that pushed healthcare systems in various countries to the brink of collapse (23). During the pandemic, nurses were daily exposed to a large number of critically ill patients. Infection risk, discomfort caused by protective equipment, and prolonged shifts led to physical and mental exhaustion (13). Meanwhile, internal psychological support and peer debriefing were reduced due to staffing shortages, and home-based social isolation cut off external emotional support (24). Moreover, the acute shortage of medical resources forced nurses to frequently confront ethical dilemmas of selective treatment, an experience that in itself constituted a severe psychological trauma (14). It is noteworthy that the pooled prevalence of STS among nurses in North America and Europe was found to be lower than that in Asia.

  Prevalence of secondary traumatic stress in nurses: a meta-analysis of observational studies · 2026 · DOI

• While psychological distress and poor sleep have been identified as antecedents of burnout and intent to leave, the mediating effect of sleep quality on the relationship between psychological well-being and turnover intention has not been adequately explored in the context of pediatric critical care nurses.

  When caring hurts: The association between psychological well-being and retention among pediatric critical care nurses: The mediating role of sleep quality · 2026 · DOI

• Although existing studies of SETs’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic have explored SET stress and burnout, those studies have mainly used quantitative measures that do not necessarily include teacher voices and have not explored the connections between the factors that cause SETs’ stress and burnout.

  Special Education Teachers’ Stress, Burnout, and Working Conditions during COVID-19 · 2026 · DOI

• No study is without limitations, and several are salient here. The reliance on selfreport measures raises the possibility of response bias; participants may downplay burnout or overstate self-care, consciously or otherwise, thus affecting the precision of the findings.

  The Hidden Curriculum of Care: Emotional Labor, Burnout, and Compassion Fatigue in Higher Education · 2026 · DOI

• Several important limitations must be mentioned. There were relatively few studies eligible for the meta-analysis. There was unequal sampling across geographic location, with 11 of the 17 studies taking place in Turkey and published in the same journal, which makes it difficult to draw conclusions about the differences between countries or cultures, increases publication bias, and results in less generalizable conclusions. The studies were English-language or English translations, so non-English studies could have been missed, contributing to language and country bias. Very few studies have been done among veterinary and allied health students, limiting comparisons between disciplines. Furthermore, the risk of bias was moderate to high overall; there were eight RCTs among the primary articles, and only three of those were clearly adequately powered to detect a significant difference between groups [58,61,63]. Of the remaining RCTs, sample sizes were very small (n = 1053 and n = 3857), there was no power calculation done [52], or there was a power calculation noted but without adequate detail to assess its accuracy [55]. Heterogeneity was quite high, as is typical among studies drawn from the literature, but cultural differences, measurement tool variation (11 different tools among 17 studies), and significant differences across interventions make even moderation analyses less reliable. All studies except one included primarily white individuals, and demographic data on LGBTQIA+ individuals, gender identity, socioeconomic status, and religion were absent. Future research focusing on and including non-white, LGBTQIA+, gender minorities, and other underrepresented groups of healthcare students is important to determine who would likely benefit from coping interventions.

  Intervention Characteristics to Improve Stress Coping in Healthcare Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis · 2026 · DOI

• This study provides meaningful evidence for understanding the mechanisms linking work time pressure to burnout among ICU nurses and offers important implications for nursing management and occupa- tional health interventions. Nevertheless, several limitations should be acknowledged. First, this study was conducted in a limited number of hospitals and employed a convenience sampling strategy, which may restrict the gen- eralizability of the findings. Future studies should recruit ICU nurses from multiple regions and healthcare systems and adopt probability- based sampling methods to enhance the representativeness and external validity of the results. Second, all variables were assessed using self- reported measures, which may introduce recall bias and common method variance. In the present study, work time pressure was opera- tionalized using a subjective workload scale intended to capture per- ceived work intensity and time-related demands. However, some items may also reflect broader workload or job strain rather than time insuf- ficiency alone, which may partially inflate its association with burnout. Future studies should employ more specific measures of time pressure or multi-method approaches to improve construct differentiation. Third, demographic and work-related characteristics (e.g., age, shift work status, and family responsibilities) were not included as covariates in the struc- tural equation model. These factors may influence sleep quality and burnout and could confound the observed relationships. Future research should incorporate relevant control variables to further test the robust- ness of the model. Finally, the cross-sectional design limits the ability to infer causal relationships among work time pressure, work–family conflict, sleep quality, and burnout. Although the proposed serial mediation model was theoretically grounded, the directionality of these relationships cannot be definitively established, and alternative models (e.g., sleep distur- bances influencing work–family conflict or burnout affecting work time pressure) may also plausibly fit the data. Longitudinal or prospective studies are therefore needed to examine the temporal and dynamic inter- play among these variables and to verify the proposed mediating mecha- nisms over time.

  Work time pressure, work–family conflict, sleep quality, and burnout among intensive care nurses: a cross-sectional study using structural equation modeling · 2026 · DOI

• First and foremost, interpretation is limited by the cross- sectional data, hence the identified predictors may be ante- cedents or consequences of burnout, or a relationship may occur because of an underlying third variable influencing both the feature and outcome. Some variables have also been identified in prospective studies [19] and align with theoretical assumptions [14, 21], supporting their predictive relevance. However, other directionality is also plausible, particularly for mental health. For example, an overloaded individual may withdraw from social activities or develop a cynic perspective, both of which can foster depressive symptoms, where the reduction of energy can in turn aggra- vate the feeling of being overwhelmed by workload. Lon- gitudinal studies support such reciprocal relationships [30, 31]. Second, the sample is not fully representative of the general population, despite being randomly drawn from population registers. Nonresponse led to an overrepresen- tation of female, 40–60-year-old, and well-educated indi- viduals. We addressed this through case weight modelling, which supports generalisability for these factors. Never- theless, individuals with migration background remained underrepresented and thus our results are best applicable to WEIRD (western, educated, industrialised, rich, demo- cratic) populations [69]. Third, machine learning models are complex which hinders interpretability. Though SHAP val- ues provide an approach to inspect the associations, they do not capture complex higher-level interactions, which may exist in the real world. Fourth, while our set of predictors was broad, it was limited by the survey design. Other poten- tially important factors, such as personality traits [70], or quality of work-related relationships [71] were not assessed, and some variables (screen time, income), were simplified through ordinal scaling, with income categories offering no resolution above the national average. Our results are only as specific as the data and not comprehensive for all poten- tial factors influencing burnout. Finally, the MBI, though widely used in research, lacks standardised cut-offs for clinical burnout [72], we thus cannot draw any conclusion on the prevalence. Also, our sample likely underrepresents severe cases, as it only included employed participants. Taken together, future research should include prospective longitudinal designs and diverse samples with broad predic- tor sets to gain causal insights. Our results may inform the choice of predictors for confirmatory studies.

  Multidomain correlates of burnout: A population-based study using supervised machine learning · 2026 · DOI

• The questionnaire was rigorously developed, informed by a systematic literature review, consultation with medical students and a Delphi cycle. This methodological approach aimed to ensure content validity and contextual relevance for the UK resident doctor and medical student population. Furthermore, the large sample size provided sufficient power to detect meaningful associations in understanding the complex determinants of burnout, including demographic, geographical and lifestyle factors. Several limitations should be noted. The sample size, although significant, does not fully represent all resident doctors or medical students in the respective region, and should be interpreted with caution. The use of self-reported data introduces potential bias, and the absence of a validated burnout scale limits cross-study comparability. Burnout prevalence was assessed using a binary self-report measure that aligns with a contextual definition reflecting the lived experiences of UK trainees, but differs from established questionnaires such as the Oldenburg and Copenhagen Burnout Inventories, which focus on exhaustion and disengagement and may underestimate burnout risk in medical populations.39,40 Although these instruments assess general domains of exhaustion and disengagement, they are not specific to the medical context and may underestimate burnout risk within these populations. However, within the preset survey, a definition of burnout was provided that captured the ICD-11 key symptoms relating to burnout including exhaustion, depersonalisation and reduced personal efficacy, and this was the definition applied throughout the survey and study.1 Furthermore, lifestyle factors such as exercise, nutrition and sleep likely have a bidirectional relationship with burnout. These behaviours may contribute to the development or exacerbation of burnout; however, they may also deteriorate as a consequence of burnout-related stress, fatigue and reduced capacity for self-care. As a result, the cross-sectional nature of this study limits the ability to determine the directionality or causality of the observed associations. Data were collected over a defined 3-month period (February to April 2025), which may not fully capture potential seasonal variation in burnout; however, this approach is consistent with prior national workforce surveys that similarly employ short, crosssectional sampling windows.21,34,35 Moreover, the survey did not collect further responses on reasons for leaving medicine, nor did we capture respondents’ status as UK or international students, limiting our ability to explore these factors in relation to burnout. limi- The economic analysis also has inherent methodological tations. Salary estimates were based on average NHS nodal pay points rather than a grade-weighted distribution, which may not represent the different grade levels of resident doctors and contract types in the system. Absenteeism estimates were drawn from national data on stress- and mental health-related disorders, and used as a proxy for burnout-related absenteeism. In contrast, reliable data on presenteeism were unavailable, which likely led to an underestimate of the economic burden. The human capital framework assumes that each lost day represents a full day of foregone output and does not account for labour substitution or organisational adaptation, which may introduce upward biases in the cost estimate. In conclusion, this study highlights the high prevalence and multifactorial nature of burnout among UK resident doctors and medical students. Limited awareness of available well-being services suggests ongoing barriers to access and communication that require institutional attention. Burnout in this population likely reflects a combination of psychosocial and systemic stress, including financial strain, relocation challenges and poor work–life balance, rather than occupational factors alone. If unaddressed, these pressures may worsen mental health, reduce workforce retention and compromise patient care. Improving the visibility and accessibility of well-being services, alongside financial and relocation support, can help mitigate stress and promote well-being.

  Examining burnout, work–life balance, relocation and financial stress among UK resident doctors and medical students · 2026 · DOI

• The study utilized a cross-sectional approach, which may present certain limitations. Recall biases may affect responses related to violent events that occurred one year prior, as well as lead to socially desirable responses to sensitive questions. Only Isparta provided the Türkiye sample, which may limit methodological generalization to the entire country. In addition to that, there was a discrepancy in the acceptability of participating in the survey; 53.5% in Palestine and 63.6% in Türkiye. The use of face-to-face data collection in Türkiye and online surveys in Palestine might have involved some mode effect biases. Using different survey methods can yield different responses to the same questions. Additionally, the use of an online survey in Palestine may introduce selection bias, as it restricts participation to individuals who possess familiarity with the platform and access to the internet. We cannot also ignore the chance of non-response bias, since people who are feeling burnt out might have chosen not to take part in the study because they didn’t want to share their burnout status, which could have influenced the estimates of burnout prevalence. The differences in the staffing patterns of EDs in the two countries may have impacted on cross-country comparisons. Finally, the categorization of clerks, receptionists, and auxiliary staff into a single group may have concealed discrepancies.

  Burnout among emergency department healthcare workers in Palestine and Türkiye: a cross-sectional comparative study · 2026 · DOI

• Despite being a representative sample of sports medicine physicians based on demographics, only 682 of 3436 eligible AMSSM physicians participated in the survey, and only 78% of those completed the survey. The survey itself likely has limitations as the first iteration specific to sports medicine physicians. Several respondents commented that they have hybrid practices or only do a small percentage of work in a sports medicine setting so they were unsure how to answer the burnout questions. Some retired members were also unsure whether they should complete the survey because they are no longer in clinical practice. RESEARCH AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS Solutions proposed to address burnout include addressing our health system culture and 2 efficiency of practice. Medical organizations and sports medicine physicians can use these data to help advocate for systemic changes at all levels including; reducing administrative tasks, EMR efficiency, and increased compensation given our unique roles in caring for athletes. Because this is the first study on burnout in US sports medicine physicians, more research is needed to clarify and define the key drivers of burnout and evaluate mitigation strategies. Findings from this study suggest that although sports medicine physicians are generally satisfied with their jobs and work with efficient teams, they still have high rates of burnout. EMR and administrative burdens, poor alignment with leadership values, and inadequate time and compensation are key drivers of physician burnout among sports medicine physicians. Physicians are often advised to rely on their personal resiliency as another proposed strategy to address burnout. Medical organizations can use these data as a framework to educate their membership and provide useful strategies for self-care and work–life integration so physicians can align their values with meaningful work. Physician leaders can also use these data to discuss and evaluate burnout within their department, specifically acknowledging and addressing the factors unique to sports medicine physicians. ACKNOWLEDGMENT This study was supported by the Research Services Hub, in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Minnesota Medical School.

  Sports Medicine Physician Burnout—American Medical Society for Sports Medicine Survey Findings · 2026 · DOI

• Although our study has multiple strengths, there are limitations that must be considered. Our inferences are intended as analytic generalizations (i.e., transferability where contextually appropriate) rather than population estimates. Our study is from a single, elite private academic medical center in the United States, which may have implications for the generalizability of our findings. We only interviewed academic physicians who had attained the rank of Professor, most of whom were in the Department of Pediatrics, and our results may not be reflective of other ranks, specialties, institutions, cultures, or career stages. We interviewed Professors only because we sought the perspective of those academic physicians who could, by standard academic metrics, be reasonably argued to be highly successful. It is important to note that nearly-half of our study population were recruited to our institution as full Professors, and over half of those were recruited from public institutions. We investigated how academic physician leaders define professional success and did not explore how they define success in personal life. Based on their ages, our participants are generational representatives of the Baby Boomers and Generation X. It is possible, as younger generations advance in their careers, they might have different perspectives on success. Given the results of our study and the known proclivity of Millennials to seek out meaningful and fulfilling work, we suspect, if anything, younger generations may be more aligned with our data than older generations such as Baby Boomers (Williams et al., 2017). Given our consensus approach to triangulation of excerpts, codes, and themes, we did not perform inter-rater reliability analyses, which could have implications on the strength of our data. While our data provide important insights regarding what constitutes success in academic medicine, formal theory development and multi-site, multi-rank validation testing is required.

  (Re)defining Success in Academic Medicine: From Metrics to Meaning · 2026 · DOI

• Given that the Academic and Research Application dimension was the strongest predictor of burnout (β = −0.358), training pro- grams should prioritize applied AI skills—such as literature synthesis, writing assistance, and idea formulation—over general technical ori- entation. Similarly, given that resilience explained 19.1% of burnout variance, institutional resilience-building workshops represent a complementary, evidence-based intervention. The research requirements of graduate programs should be restructured to achieve an optimal balance between demands and available resources, and systems for the early detection of burnout with preventive intervention mechanisms should be developed. The academic environment also requires an updated technological infra- structure and clear policies that regulate the use of AI in a way that preserves academic integrity. Faculty members are encouraged to adopt a supportive approach that provides constructive feedback, and to create learning communities that allow students to exchange expe- riences and mutual support. These interventions align with Saudi Vision 2030 by enhancing researchers’ digital competence and academic resilience, while sup- porting digital transformation and a knowledge-based economy. Integrating AI literacy into graduate programs further advances Quality of Life objectives and national human capital develop- ment goals.

  The relationship between patterns of artificial intelligence use, academic resilience, and burnout among graduate students in special education departments at Saudi universities · 2026 · DOI

• 11.1 Scientific and theoretical contributions This study addresses a clear research gap by examining grad- uate students in special education in the Saudi context, after pre- vious research had been confined to undergraduate students in health specializations. The study expands the JD-R model by incorporating a contemporary technological variable (AI applica- tion usage patterns) as a potential academic resource, offering an analytical framework that links technology, resilience, and burn- out within an integrated model. The empirical findings challenge common assumptions about the potential risks of smart technologies, showing that structured and ethical use acts as a protective factor, not a risk factor. The study has also developed a new scale for measuring patterns of AI application use with acceptable psychometric properties, providing a measure- ment tool for future studies and enriching the discussion on enhanc- ing the psychological well-being of graduate students within the national orientations towards digital transformation. A key methodological contribution of this study is the develop- ment and preliminary validation of the AI Usage Patterns Scale—a 20-item, three-dimensional instrument tailored to the graduate aca- demic context in Saudi Arabia. This scale addresses a recognized mea- surement gap in the Arabic literature and provides a replicable, culturally sensitive tool for assessing AI adoption in higher education research. From an educational psychology perspective, these findings extend the JD-R model to the technology-mediated learning context, suggesting that AI tools constitute a novel category of psychological resources. This has implications for resilience-based interventions in educational settings, proposing that technological competence train- ing may function as a complementary route to traditional resilience- building programs. 11.2 Practical and applied recommendations Given that the Academic and Research Application dimension was the strongest predictor of burnout (β = −0.358), training pro- grams should prioritize applied AI skills—such as literature synthesis, writing assistance, and idea formulation—over general technical ori- entation. Similarly, given that resilience explained 19.1% of burnout variance, institutional resilience-building workshops represent a complementary, evidence-based intervention. The research requirements of graduate programs should be restructured to achieve an optimal balance between demands and available resources, and systems for the early detection of burnout with preventive intervention mechanisms should be developed. The academic environment also requires an updated technological infra- structure and clear policies that regulate the use of AI in a way that preserves academic integrity. Faculty members are encouraged to adopt a supportive approach that provides constructive feedback, and to create learning communities that allow students to exchange expe- riences and mutual support. These interventions align with Saudi Vision 2030 by enhancing researchers’ digital competence and academic resilience, while sup- porting digital transformation and a knowledge-based economy. Integrating AI literacy into graduate programs further advances Quality of Life objectives and national human capital develop- ment goals.

  The relationship between patterns of artificial intelligence use, academic resilience, and burnout among graduate students in special education departments at Saudi universities · 2026 · DOI

• Despite the scientific and practical contributions of this study, it is subject to a number of methodological limitations that should be considered when interpreting and generalizing its findings. The cross-sectional design limits the ability to draw causal conclusions; the observed correlational relationships do not prove direct causality but may reflect mediating variables that were not measured. The reli- ance on self-report instruments exposes the results to socially desir- able response biases, while the convenience sample limits the representativeness of the findings and their generalizability. Furthermore, the sample is strictly confined to graduate students in special education departments, which restricts the generalizability of the findings to other humanities or applied science disciplines. For the “AI application usage patterns Scale,” face validity and internal consistency were verified. Given the novelty of the scale and the sample size, it is recommended to conduct factor analyses (EFA/ CFA) in future studies to enhance the evidence of its construct validity. The study did not address important contextual variables such as family support, economic status, and the nature of the relation- ship with the academic advisor, which may influence the studied relationships. The measurement of burnout as a general construct without detailed differentiation may hide important variations. The developed scale needs further verification across diverse contexts. The study’s focus on the Saudi context limits its generalizability to other cultural settings. These limitations call for conducting longi- tudinal studies to examine causal relationships across program stages, and experimental studies to test the effectiveness of specific interventions. Mixed-methods approaches should be used to pro- vide a deeper understanding of the lived experiences, and samples should be expanded to include diverse specializations and regions. It is also recommended to examine mediating and moderating vari- ables, conduct cross-cultural comparative studies, and develop more precise measurement tools that distinguish between different types of AI use. Future research should also examine the long-term effects on research and critical thinking skills, explore factors that facilitate or hinder the effective use of these technologies, and use advanced ana- lytical methods such as structural equation modeling to uncover more nuanced patterns of relationships between variables. Future research should employ longitudinal designs to track within-individual changes in AI usage, resilience, and burnout trajec- tories across the graduate program lifecycle. Additionally, randomized controlled trials examining the efficacy of structured AI training inter- ventions on burnout reduction would provide causal evidence that the present cross-sectional design cannot supply.

  The relationship between patterns of artificial intelligence use, academic resilience, and burnout among graduate students in special education departments at Saudi universities · 2026 · DOI

• Firstly, this study employed convenience sampling to recruit 321 newly qualified nurses in emergency and critical care from eight Grade A tertiary general hospitals in Anhui Province. While this approach was practical, it may limit the representativeness of the sample, as the hospitals selected may not fully represent the diversity of healthcare settings across other regions in China, particularly in remote areas where healthcare access and resources may differ. This limits the external validity of the findings. Future research should aim to use multi-center stratified sampling across different provinces and both urban and rural areas to improve the generalizability and representativeness of the findings. Secondly, the use of self-reporting questionnaires for data collection may introduce subjective reporting bias, as participants may be influenced by social desirability, privacy concerns, or personal perceptions when responding to the questions. This could result in biased data, affecting the accuracy of the results. Future studies could combine self-report measures with objective data collection methods, such as performance assessments or peer evaluations, to enhance the reliability of the findings. Furthermore, the cross- sectional design of this study constrains causal inference among the variables. The relationships observed in this study are correlational, and future research should adopt a longitudinal design with multi-center stratified sampling to validate causal sequencing, assess the robustness of effects, and explore the potential influencing factors.

  Perceived organizational support and self-efficacy as mediating factors between job burnout and emergency response competence among new nurses: a study based on emergency departments and intensive care units · 2026 · DOI

• The literature search was limited to articles published between 2018 and 2023. In addition, the three studied articles’ populations educational did qualifications. can significantly impact the understanding and dissemination of research findings.

  TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP ON JOB SATISFACTION AMONG REGISTERED NURSES CARING PERSPECTIVE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW · 2024 · DOI

• Structured with a plethora of research regarding faculty burnout in higher education, Rebecca Pope-Ruark’s project reveals a fruitful conversation with her readers in a subject most educators would recognize these days as pervasive and, at the same time, wide-spread and challenging, but rarely investigated properly.

  Book Review: Pope-Ruark, R. (2022). Unraveling Faculty Burnout: Pathways to Reckoning and Renewal. United States: Johns Hopkins University Press. · 2023 · DOI

• As COVID-19 rapidly overwhelmed the world in 2020, medical social workers have fought against the disease on the front lines as a member of medical teams, but little is known about the impact of the pandemic on their mental health.

  Resilience, perceived social support and professional quality of life among medical social workers during COVID-19 pandemic in Mainland China: A cross-sectional survey · 2022 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout

• Understanding and Addressing Sources of Anxiety Among Health Care Professionals During the COVID-19 Pandemic · JAMA · 2020 · 1,451 citations
• Association of an Educational Program in Mindful Communication With Burnout, Empathy, and Attitudes Among Primary Care Physicians · JAMA · 2009 · 1,232 citations
• Association of Perceived Medical Errors With Resident Distress and Empathy · JAMA · 2006 · 1,178 citations
• A narrative review on burnout experienced by medical students and residents · Medical Education · 2015 · 867 citations
• Compassion fatigue and psychological distress among social workers: A validation study. · American Journal of Orthopsychiatry · 2006 · 601 citations
• Job stressors, personality and burnout in primary school teachers · British Journal of Educational Psychology · 2006 · 555 citations
• Burnout and somatic symptoms among frontline healthcare professionals at the peak of the Italian COVID-19 pandemic. · Psychiatry Research · 2020 · 512 citations
• Relationship between nurse burnout, patient and organizational outcomes: Systematic review · International Journal of Nursing Studies · 2021 · 477 citations
• Burnout and physical and mental health among Swedish healthcare workers · Journal of Advanced Nursing · 2008 · 394 citations
• Is there a relationship between burnout and objective performance? A critical review of 16 studies · Work & Stress · 2006 · 376 citations

Most recent work

• The Hidden Curriculum of Care: Emotional Labor, Burnout, and Compassion Fatigue in Higher Education · Innovative Higher Education · 2026
• Emotional exhaustion digital technology stress and occupational burnout among nurses · Occupational Medicine · 2026
• Development and Validation of the Japanese Version of the Revised Publication Pressure Questionnaire ( <scp>PPQr</scp> ‐J): Assessment of Reliability and Construct Validity · Japanese Psychological Research · 2026
• Burnout and Intent to Leave as Predictors of Retention for Special Educators Serving Students With Emotional-Behavioral Disorders · The Journal of Special Education · 2026
• Are psychopathic traits a shield against burnout in policing? · The Police Journal Theory Practice and Principles · 2026
• Physician Assistant Burnout: The Role of Leader Well-Being and Span of Control · Psychiatric Annals · 2026
• Development of job burnout and job performance: a latent profile and transition analysis over three years · Work & Stress · 2026
• Customer-centric ideology and symptoms of burnout: A case study in the NSW public sector · Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health · 2026
• A Cross-Sectional Study on Burnout, Emotional Distress, and Suicidal Thoughts Among International and Hungarian Veterinary Students · Journal of Veterinary Medical Education · 2026
• Perceived impact of China’s <i>Double Reduction Policy</i> on english teacher burnout: a cross-sectional study in Zhengzhou · Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education · 2026

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