# Organizational challenges persist, and new research directions emerge in the study of burnout in healthcare: Bibliometric analysis

## TL;DR

This paper analyzes healthcare burnout research trends, showing persistent organizational issues and new directions post-pandemic.

## Contribution

The study identifies new research directions in healthcare burnout triggered by the pandemic using bibliometric analysis.

## Key findings

- Workplace conditions and organizational factors like leadership remain persistent contributors to burnout.
- Post-2019 studies highlight new areas like workplace aggression and virtual reality as research directions.
- International collaboration on burnout research has increased since the pandemic.

## Abstract

Between 35% and 45% of nurses and 40%–54% of physicians in the United States experienced burnout over the past decade, underscoring the need to examine trends and patterns in healthcare burnout research to identify contributors and formulate recommendations. Our objectives were to (1) understand whether the problem of burnout is widespread and studied globally, (2) assess the extent of research collaboration, (3) examine the focus of healthcare burnout themes prior to 2019 and after 2019 and assess similarities between themes to identify persistent problems, and (4) assess differences in themes to identify new research directions triggered by COVID-19.

We performed a literature search in Web of Science, followed by bibliometric and manual comparative analyses of publications data. We analyzed trends in publications, countries, and organizations where healthcare burnout was studied, constructed co-authorship networks, and evaluated theme similarities and differences between the periods.

Studies have investigated longstanding system and organizational problems, including poor workplace conditions and unsupportive leadership and management, as contributors to burnout. Research collaborations on healthcare burnout across countries have increased post-pandemic. Studies conducted after 2019 have investigated new research directions, including workplace adaptations, workplace aggression, and emerging technologies such as virtual reality.

Our findings indicate that workplace conditions and organizational factors such as leadership and management remain persistent challenges, with workplace violence and workplace aggression increasingly associated with burnout. Design improvements to the work system and emerging technologies hold promise as interventions for preventing and mitigating burnout.