Association between burnout and working motivation among rehabilitation doctors: a multicentre cross-sectional study in China

Burnout and working motivation are two interconnected concepts that significantly influence doctors' working performance and overall well-being. However, the relationship between burnout and working motivation among rehabilitation doctors remain unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the association between burnout and working motivation among rehabilitation doctors in China. A multistage sampling scheme was employed to select rehabilitation doctors as study participants. A total of 220 participants from 21 medical institutions in 7 cities in China were included in the final analysis. The measurement included working motivation, burnout, and general characteristics (such as age, sex, educational level, title, working experience, etc.). Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to analyse the association between burnout and working motivation among rehabilitation doctors. Among 220 rehabilitation doctors, the mean age of participants was 37.0 years (SD: 7.7), and 43.6% were male. The prevalence of emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, and lack of personal accomplishment was 20.9, 16.4, and 24.1%. The average total score of working motivation was 47.7 (SD: 8.0). SEM results indicate that burnout had a negatively correlation with working motivation (beta = -0.63, 95% CI -0.77, -0.50) after controlling confounders. Burnout decreases the working motivation among rehabilitation doctors. The strategies to balance burnout and enhance working motivation should be strengthened.