Burnout and Quality of Life Among Oncology Palliative Care Professionals: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Oncology palliative care involves sustained engagement with suffering, loss, complex communication, and end-of-life decisions. This exploratory study compared burnout and quality of life among professionals working in oncology palliative care, intensive care, and emergency care, and secondarily with a heterogeneous reference group. Methods: A cross-sectional convenience sample included 68 healthcare professionals from two hospital units within the same Portuguese public hospital organization: oncology palliative care (N = 22), intensive care (N = 15), emergency care (N = 9), and other healthcare professionals (N = 22). Burnout and quality of life were assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory—Human Services Survey and WHOQOL-BREF, respectively. Analyses used complete cases for each multivariate outcome set. Results: No statistically significant multivariate differences were detected across the three clinical groups in burnout (Pillai’s Trace = 0.187; F(6, 84) = 1.442; p = 0.208) or quality of life (Pillai’s Trace = 0.146; F(10, 78) = 0.613; p = 0.798). In the secondary burnout comparison (n = 38), emotional exhaustion was higher in oncology palliative care (mean difference = 5.78; 95% CI 0.37–11.19; unadjusted p = 0.037; partial η2 = 0.115). No multivariate quality-of-life difference was detected in the secondary comparison (n = 39; p = 0.387). Conclusions: The non-significant findings do not establish equivalence between clinical settings. The nominal emotional-exhaustion difference is hypothesis-generating and requires replication. Small, unequal groups, missing data, multiple testing, and limited occupational characterization constrain precision and interpretation.