Abstract

Purpose: Burnout among frontline healthcare workers has been repeatedly framed as an individual psychological deficit rather than a structural pathology embedded within health systems. This study interrogates that reductionist narrative by examining burnout predictors through a systems approach grounded in the Job Demands–Resources model and Conservation of Resources theory. It seeks to determine whether organisational, workload, and leadership variables exert stronger predictive power than individual demographic factors.

Design/Methodology: A cross sectional quantitative design was employed using validated psychometric instruments, including the Maslach Burnout Inventory developed by Maslach and Jackson. Data were analysed using multivariate regression modelling and structural equation modelling to test systemic pathways between demands, resources, leadership climate, and burnout dimensions.

Findings: Preliminary modelling indicates that organisational workload, staffing inadequacy, and perceived leadership dysfunction significantly predict emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation, while personal characteristics demonstrate comparatively weaker effects. Resource depletion and lack of institutional support operate as mediating mechanisms, consistent with the Job Demands–Resources framework advanced by Demerouti et al. and Bakker and Demerouti.

Originality/Value: This study shifts the analytical lens from individual resilience discourse to systemic accountability. It provides quantitative evidence that burnout is structurally produced within organisational ecosystems, thereby challenging policy responses that focus narrowly on wellness interventions.