To understand the experiences of burnout and coping strategies among healthcare professionals working in the emergency department of tertiary care public and private hospitals in Karachi.

A qualitative exploratory design was employed.

One public-sector and one private-sector tertiary care hospital located in Karachi, Pakistan were selected for this study. Audio-recorded in-depth interviews were conducted with a total of 15 healthcare professionals working in the emergency department, which were later transcribed verbatim and analysed inductively.

The findings of the study identified two major themes contributing to burnout: individual and organisational themes, along with coping strategies used by healthcare professionals. Individual-level subthemes included emotional distress, arising from ethical dilemmas and constraints within the work environment, and work-life imbalance, where participants experienced difficulty maintaining personal well-being due to professional demands. Organisational-level subthemes included lack of leadership support and recognition, role conflict, inadequate resources, excessive workloads and exposure to workplace violence, all of which contributed significantly to burnout. Healthcare professionals reported both adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies. Adaptive strategies included positive reframing, peer support and relaxation techniques, whereas maladaptive strategies involved venting frustration and, in some cases, substance use to manage prolonged stress.

The findings revealed that the experience of burnout is caused by a range of interdependent factors at the individual and organisational levels. Multifaceted interventions are needed to address these issues such as national and emergency department staffing policies, mental health support, resilience training, workload management, flexible scheduling and the promotion of work-life balance.