UICC World Cancer Congress 2006

Methods: We have been conducting ongoing staff support sessions for nurses, doctors, volunteers and administrative staff of cancer and palliative care organisations and NGOs for the last five years. These are in the form of a drop- in support group to discuss problem, difficult cases, situations and personal issues and through formal assessment of staff stress and burnout and tailor made interventions for the staff. All sessions are recorded in the form of notes and narratives. Formal assessments for burnout were done using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). Analysis focused on protective and risk factors and situations resulting in stress, positive coping , organisational, personal and patient factors leading to stress and burnout.

Results: Factors that led to stress included – handling difficult questions, breaking bad news, dealing with financial problems of families, handling spiritual and existential needs of patients and dealing with death of young children and adolescents with cancer. Emotional exhaustion was seen in 13 %, Depersonalisation in 50 % and low personal accomplishment in 57 % of staff. Spiritual coping and peer support were identified as protective factors while lack of training in psychosocial issues and lack of experience were important risk factors for burnout. Based on these findings, ongoing support and training including drop in facilities, telephonic support and group discussions of difficult situations have been provided to staff by our multidisciplinary team of mental health professionals.