Burnout Prevention among Health Care Providers Working with the Terminally Ill: A Literature Review

Abstract

A review of the literature on burnout and its prevention among caregivers to the dying is presented in this article. The literature shows that health care providers who work with the dying do experience many stressors unique to the specialty, but also many which are common to other health care workers. External and internal stressors common to this specialty field are summarized, and suggestions for reduction or elimination of these stressors are generated from the literature. A self-care wellness program is extracted from the various literature sources and provides what is thought to be an essential foundation to burnout prevention.