THE INFLUENCE OF EMPATHY ON THE FORMATION OF EMOTIONAL BURNING SYNDROME OF MEDICAL WORKERS

Abstract

The article reveals the essence of the concept of empathy and emotional burnout. The main factors of emotional burnout of medical professionals are described. The specifics of work in medical institutions and the highlighted emotions experienced by medical workers are analyzed. Emphasis is placed on the concept of "emotional burnout" syndrome of medical professionals. It has been found out that the educational activities related to the prevention of emotional burnout are important and that the work of health professionals is connected with the constant emotional and mental stress. Such manifestations contribute to the development of degradation and professional maladaptation of health workers. It is characterized that the professional activity of medical workers involves the influence of a wide range of stressors, which is constantly accompanied by high emotional and physical stress, communication with patients on a negative emotional background, increased responsibility for patients, unfavorable socio-psychological climate in the team, poor labour conditions and content of work. The problem of empathy and emotional burnout of health professionals is studied and the impact of empathy on the formation of emotional burnout of health professionals is investigated. It has been clarified that the emotional burnout of health professionals is associated primarily with physical, emotional, motivational exhaustion, which is characterized by impaired productivity, fatigue, insomnia, increased susceptibility to somatic diseases. It has also been found out that the emotional burnout can be manifested through an inadequate response to patients and colleagues, lack of emotional involvement, loss of empathy for patients, exhaustion, leading to reduced professional responsibilities and negative impact on personal life. It is proved that the psychological support of a medical worker should be focused on the correction of the psycho-emotional sphere, the organization of work, and individual consulting of workers. Because health care workers are demanded to have such personality features as sociability, empathy, humanism, and compassion, which requires great psychological and physiological resource.