Job Satisfaction, Workload, and Burnout Among Medical Laboratory Professionals: Their Interrelationships and Implications for Workforce Well-Being
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.67903/ijroms0237Keywords:
Burnout, Job satisfaction, Medical laboratory professionals, Workforce well-being, WorkloadAbstract
This systematic review synthesized empirical evidence on the interrelationships among workload, job satisfaction, and burnout among medical laboratory professionals (MLPs) and evaluated their implications for workforce well-being and service sustainability. Guided by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a comprehensive search across six electronic databases yielded 1,635 records published between 2015 and 2025, with 44 meeting the full inclusion criteria. Using an inductive thematic analysis, the synthesized data generated six core themes: operational and structural pressures, professional identity and recognition, burnout and mental health implications, leadership and organizational climate, growth and workforce sustainability, and coping mechanisms during crisis periods. The findings indicate that excessive workloads, chronic staffing shortages, and limited workflow automation consistently drive emotional exhaustion, diminish job satisfaction, and heighten diagnostic error risks, ultimately threatening patient safety. Conversely, administrative recognition, role clarity, supportive leadership, and continuing professional development function as essential protective job resources that mitigate turnover intentions. Grounded in the Job Demands-Resources framework, the review demonstrates that addressing systemic organizational stressors through proactive workforce planning, safe staffing guidelines, and continuous mental health monitoring is vital to safeguarding workforce well-being and guaranteeing long-term diagnostic service quality.
Downloads
References
Al Lily, A. E., Abunasser, F. M., Alhajhoj, A., Almaghaslah, D., & Alrabiah, S. (2017). The crucial roles of communication, presentation, and information literacy in education. Education and Information Technologies, 22(2), 469–485. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-015-9429-6
Ahn, H.-J., & Sitzmann, T. (2011). Using technology to support student self-regulation in problem-based learning environments. Journal of Educational Technology Research and Development, 59(1), 77–92. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-010-9162-4
Al Maqbali, M., Al Badi, A., & Al Nuaimi, H. (2024). Occupational stress and job satisfaction among medical laboratory professionals in Oman. Journal of Clinical Laboratory Analysis, 38(3), e24982. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcla.24982
Al-Qathmi, A. M., & Zedan, A. A. (2021). Factors affecting job satisfaction and turnover intention among medical laboratory technologists. Healthcare, 9(11), 1485. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9111485
Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2007). The Job Demands-Resources model: State of the art. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 22(3), 309–328. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940710733115
Ben Youssef, A., Dahmani, M., & Ragni, L. (2022). ICT use, digital skills and students’ academic performance: Exploring the digital divide. Information, 13(3), 129. https://doi.org/10.3390/info13030129
Blau, I., & Shamir-Inbal, T. (2017). Digital literacy: A prerequisite for effective learning in a blended learning environment? Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 20(1), 191–202. https://www.jstor.org/stable/jeductechsoci.20.1.191
Chi, M. T. H., & VanLehn, K. (2006). Seeing is believing: Constructing knowledge with dynamic visual literacies. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 15(2), 121–147. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327809jls1502_1
Creswell, J. W. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. SAGE Publications.
Djukic, B., & Nielsen, C. (2022). Mental health status of medical laboratory professionals. Healthcare Management Forum, 35(4), 207–212. https://doi.org/10.1177/08404704221088471
Dwyer, D. C. (2012). The effect of multimedia instruction on student learning. Review of Educational Research, 82(1), 55–85. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654312437288
Garcia, E., Kundu, I., Kelly, M., & Soles, R. (2019). The American Society for Clinical Pathology’s 2018 vacancy survey of clinical laboratories in the United States. American Journal of Clinical Pathology, 152(2), 155–168. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcp/aqz052
Kareem, M. A., & Hussein, I. J. (2019). The impact of human resource development on employee performance and organizational effectiveness. Management Dynamics in the Knowledge Economy, 7(3), 307–322. https://doi.org/10.25019/mdke/7.3.02
Leithwood, K., Harris, A., & Hopkins, D. (2019). Seven strong claims about successful school leadership revisited. School Leadership & Management, 40(1), 5–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2019.1596077
Lent, R. W., Brown, S. D., & Hackett, G. (1994). Toward a unifying social cognitive theory of career and academic interest. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 45(1), 79–122. https://doi.org/10.1006/jvbe.1994.1027
Li, L., Lin, M., & Zhou, Y. (2020). Quality control and workflow efficiency in modern clinical diagnostic laboratories. Clinica Chimica Acta, 508, 120–127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cca.2020.05.018
Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. P. (2016). Understanding the burnout experience: Recent research and its implications for psychiatry. World Psychiatry, 15(2), 103–111. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20311
Mishra, S. (2020). Social networks, social capital, social support and academic success in higher education: A systematic review. Educational Research Review. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2019.100307
Perera, S. M., Jayawardena, R., & Fernando, T. (2025). Work-life balance, organizational support, and career retention among laboratory scientists. Human Resources for Health, 23(1), 18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-024-00912-3
Reardon, S. F., & Portilla, X. A. (2020). Socioeconomic status and educational inequality. Educational Researcher, 49(2), 97–110. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X20927533
Ribble, M. (2015). Digital citizenship in schools. International Society for Technology in Education.
Rohde, R. E., Felkner, M., & Reagan, J. (2021). The vital role of medical laboratory professionals in diagnostic medicine and public health surveillance. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 27(3), 299–305. https://doi.org/10.1097/PHH.0000000000001322
Shanafelt, T. D., Noseworthy, J. H., & Fan, J. W. (2017). Executive leadership and physician well-being: Nine organizational strategies to promote engagement and reduce burnout. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 92(1), 129–146. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2016.10.004
Tondeur, J., et al. (2017). Preparing pre-service teachers to integrate technology in education. Computers & Education, 112, 218–235. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2017.05.001
Wang, C. H., Hsu, H. C., & Campbell, R. H. (2019). Technological competency and academic performance among university students. Computers & Education, 128, 13–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.09.004
Warschauer, M., & Matuchniak, C. (2010). New times, new literacies: Multilingual learners in a digital world. Teachers College Record, 112(1), 214–247. https://doi.org/10.1177/016146811011200103
Zhao, Y., & Frank, K. A. (2018). Factors affecting technology use in schools: An ecological perspective. American Educational Research Journal, 55(2), 298–337. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831217743225
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 International Journal of Research on Multidisciplinary Studies
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
