Cancer care workers in Ontario: prevalence of burnout, job stress and job satisfaction

Dr. Eva Grunfeld and colleagues surveyed 1016 physicians, allied health professionals and support staff in the Ontario cancer care system about job stress and found that about one-third of the respondents in each group are considering leaving their jobs. The authors say this may be very bad news for a cancer-treatment system in which highly trained and experienced workers are already in short supply. The research also found that 53.3% of the physicians, 37.1% of the allied health care workers and 30.5% of the support staff had experienced "emotional exhaustion" related to their work.

The authors caution that these findings could have a profound impact on the quality of care these individuals are able to provide for patients.