Bioethics and Burnout: Unpacking the Relationship

Authors

  • Carey DeMichelis Department of Psychology, University of the Fraser Valley, Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada
  • Randi Zlotnik Shaul Department of Bioethics, The Hospital for Sick Children; Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3078-8989
  • Roxanne Kirsch Department of Bioethics, The Hospital for Sick Children; Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4940-8256

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7202/1112304ar

Keywords:

bioethics, burnout, moral distress, moral injury

Language(s):

English

Abstract

Canadian healthcare systems are facing unprecedented challenges in recruiting and retaining workers. Literature on healthcare burnout and professional exit suggest multiple intersecting causes. Understaffing, residual trauma, compassion fatigue, demanding hours, rigid hierarchies, and moral distress, interlock and compound to create and sustain the current burnout crisis. In the face of this frightening reality, healthcare institutions and governments are investing billions in wellness programs, aimed at attracting new workers and incentivizing staff retention. Amid this rapidly evolving landscape, our workshop asked: Does clinical ethics have a role in addressing the ongoing burnout crisis? If, as the research suggests, moral distress and moral injury are key drivers of the burnout problem, should bioethics be part of the “wellness” solution?

(c) Han Han Li

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Published

2024-06-21

How to Cite

[1]
DeMichelis C, Zlotnik Shaul R, Kirsch R. Bioethics and Burnout: Unpacking the Relationship. Can. J. Bioeth 2024;7:225-8. https://doi.org/10.7202/1112304ar.

Issue

Vol. 7 No. 2-3 (2024): Open Issue & CBS Workshops

Section

Conference Proceedings

License

Copyright (c) 2024 Carey DeMichelis, Randi Zlotnik Shaul, Roxanne Kirsch

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

The Canadian Journal of Bioethics applies the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License to all its publications. Authors therefore retain copyright of their publication, e.g., they can reuse their publication, link to it on their home page or institutional website, deposit a PDF in a public repository. However, the authors allow anyone to download, reuse, reprint, modify, distribute, and/or copy their publication, so long as the original authors and source are cited.