Audiologists in South Africa operate within a complex, under-resourced healthcare system where high caseloads, limited institutional support, and emotional demands impact their professional quality of life. While international studies have explored the professional quality of life among various healthcare professionals, little is known about the contextual and psychosocial factors influencing the professional...
✦ The floor
Discussion
Signed responses from readers of the wire.
No actionable change to patient care protocols — this study highlights workforce wellbeing factors specific to South African audiology that are relevant to clinic management and policy rather than direct clinical practice.
Understanding what drives compassion fatigue and burnout in under-resourced audiology settings is critical for workforce retention and the sustainability of hearing healthcare in low- and middle-income countries.
- 01South African audiologists report high caseloads and limited institutional support as key stressors.
- 02Emotional demands of the role contribute to compassion fatigue and reduced professional quality of life.
- 03Factors such as peer support and professional autonomy were linked to higher satisfaction.
- 04Findings are relevant to workforce planning in under-resourced healthcare systems beyond South Africa.
- 05Published in Frontiers in Psychology.
High caseloads and limited institutional support negatively affect professional quality of life in South African audiologists.
studysupported- PMID
- 42625608
- DOI
- 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1735716.
- Journal
- Frontiers in Psychology
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 4
- Population
- Practising audiologists in South Africa
- Intervention
- Survey-based assessment of professional quality of life factors
Primary outcomes
Professional quality of life scores (compassion satisfaction, burnout, compassion fatigue); Identification of institutional and personal factors influencing wellbeing
