Burnout sindrom je oblik profesionalnog stresa kojem se posljednjih godina posvećuje sve više pažnje. Sindrom izgaranja razvija se kao posljedica neučinkovitog suočavanja i rješavanja svakodnevnih, zahtjevnih i stresnih situacija te uslijed kronične izloženosti visokim razinama stresa na poslu. Pojam "burnout" engleskog je porijekla, a doslovan prijevod je "spaliti, uništiti, izgorjeti". U hrvatskom jeziku uz naziv burnout koriste se i izrazi sindrom sagorijevanja, odnosno izgaranja. Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je utvrditi kolika je razina stresa te postotak prisutnosti sindroma izgaranja u radu fizioterapeuta na odjelu fizikalne medicine i rehabilitacije u Općoj županijskoj bolnici Vukovar i bolnici hrvatskih Veterana. Istraživanje je provedeno na namjernom (prigodnom) uzorku od 40 sudionika. Prigodni uzorak činili su fizioterapeuti zaposleni u Općoj županijskoj bolnici Vukovar i bolnici hrvatskih Veterana. Svaki ispitanik individualno je ispunjavao dvije anonimne ankete (upitnika). Prva anketa odnosila se na određivanje postotka stresa, a druga je bila Freudenbergerova skala sagorijevanja. Rezultati su pokazali kako je kod polovine ispitanika razina stresa bila visoka, dok je 12.5% bilo zahvaćano sindromom sagorijevanja, a samo 5% spada u skupinu sagorjelih. Može se zaključiti kako raste potreba za uspostavljanjem što kvalitetnijih odnosa s kolegama na radnom mjestu u cilju stvaranja ugodne radne atmosfere kako bi se uklonio takav izvor stresa i profesionalnog sagorijevanja.

Burnout syndrome is a form of professional stress which has been very important over the course of the previous past years. Burnout syndrome is a consequence of two major psychological states, first being the inability to cope with everyday stressing and demanding challenges and the second is the permanent exposure to high levels of stress at work. The mere word burnout is of English origin and it literally means “to burn”, “to combust” “to be destroyed”. In the Croatian language it is widely recognised and translated as the burnout syndrome. The scope of this research was to determine the precise stress levels and the exact value of the burnout syndrome which can be detected in employees at the Department of the Physical Rehabilitation in the Regional Vukovar Hospital and the Hospital of the Croatian Veterans. The research was conducted on the exact number of 40 participants, all of them employees of the previously mentioned institutions. First survey dealt with determining the stress levels and the second one with Freudenberg burnout scale. The final results of the surveys had shown that half of the examinees had high stress levels and 12.5 % of them were diagnosed to be affected by the burnout syndrome, while only 5% were actually in the group where burnout syndrome was actually present. Finally, we come to the conclusion that there is the overwhelming need to establish good relationship with colleagues at work with the final scope to create a creative working environment and therefore to remove the majority of stress and reduce the possibility of the burnout syndrome.