The Impact of Combat Deployment on Health Care Provider Burnout in a Military Emergency Department: A Cross-Sectional Professional Quality of Life Scale V Survey Study

Background: Compassion fatigue is a problem for many health care providers manifesting as physical, mental, and spiritual exhaustion. Our objective was to evaluate the association between prior combat deployment and compassion fatigue among military emergency medicine providers. Methods: We conducted a nonexperimental cross-sectional survey of health care providers assigned to the San Antonio Military Medical Center, Department of Emergency Medicine. We used the Professional Quality of Life Scale V survey instrument that evaluates provider burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and compassion satisfaction. Outcomes included burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and compassion satisfaction raw scores. Scores were compared between providers based on previous combat deployments using two-tailed independent sample t tests and multiple regression models. Results: Surveys were completed by 105 respondents: 42 nurses (20 previously deployed), 30 technicians (11 previously deployed), and 33 physicians (16 previously deployed). No statistically significant differences in burnout, secondary traumatic stress, or compassion satisfaction scores were detected between previously deployed providers versus providers not previously deployed. Discussion: There was no association between previous combat deployment and emergency department provider burnout, secondary traumatic stress, or compassion satisfaction scores.