title: The influence of trauma and patient characteristics on provider burnout in VA post-traumatic stress disorder specialty programmes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Prolonged exposure (PE) and cognitive processing therapy (CPT) - post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatments now available at the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) - expose the provider to graphic traumatic material. Little is known about the impact of traumatic material on VHA providers. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between trauma content, patient characteristics, and burnout among VHA PTSD Clinical Team (PCT) providers. It was hypothesized that trauma content and patient characteristics would significantly predict burnout in this population.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional study consisted of 137 participants. The sample was mostly female (67%), Caucasian (non-Hispanic; 81%), and married (70%) with a mean age of 44.3 years (SD = 11.3).
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants completed an electronic survey that assessed demographics, patient characteristics (i.e., anger, personality disorder, malingering), trauma content characteristics (e.g., killing of women and children) as well as burnout as measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS; Maslach et al., 1996, Burnout inventory manual. Palo Alto: Consulting Psychologist Press).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Over half of the study population reported being bothered by trauma content; however, trauma content did not predict burnout. Treating patients with personality disorders and suspected malingering predicted burnout in PCT providers. High numbers (77%) reported perceiving that emotional exhaustion impacted the quality of care they provided.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest an important role of burnout assessment, prevention, and treatment strategies at the VHA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This paper addresses the impact of provider burnout on perceived quality of care. This paper also addresses potential predictors of burnout in PCT settings. This paper outlines potential remedies to provider burnout in the VHA.
authors: South Texas Veterans Health Care System, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Texas, USA.|Department of Psychiatry, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Texas, USA.
authors: Hector A
authors: HA
authors: Garcia
authors: Department of Psychiatry, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Texas, USA.
authors: Cindy A
authors: CA
authors: McGeary
authors: South Texas Veterans Health Care System, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Texas, USA.|Department of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Texas, USA.
authors: Erin P
authors: EP
authors: Finley
authors: Department of Psychiatry, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Texas, USA.
authors: Donald D
authors: DD
authors: McGeary
authors: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Texas, USA.
authors: Norma S
authors: NS
authors: Ketchum
authors: Department of Psychiatry, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Texas, USA.
authors: Alan L
authors: AL
authors: Peterson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007171:Implosive Therapy; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D012307:Risk Factors; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D014481:United States; D014493:United States Department of Veterans Affairs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
keywords: Veterans Health Administration; burnout; malingering; personality disorders; post-traumatic stress disorder