STUDY QUESTION What is the prevalence of occupational stress, somatization, and burnout reported by UK and US, embryologists and the impact of work conditions on these well-being outcomes? SUMMARY ANSWER Surveyed UK and US embryologists reported moderate perceived stress, low somatic symptom severity, high levels of burnout, and overall stressful work conditions, but with differences that could be due to country-specific occupational and employment characteristics. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY? Spanish, UK, US, and international surveys have identified high levels of occupational stress, somatization, burnout, and occupational health issues among embryologists. These issues have been attributed to embryologists’ occupational challenges and work conditions. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION A cross-sectional web-based survey was sent to 253 embryologists working in UK ART/IVF clinics and 487 embryologists working in US ART/IVF clinics. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Participants self-reported their stress levels, somatization, burnout, and work conditions. Proportions across the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-15), Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS), a single-item work unit grade (A–F), and customized occupational and sociodemographic questionnaires were calculated using descriptive statistics. Welch’s t-test was utilized to compare PSS and PHQ-15 scores between groups. Risk ratios were calculated using log-binomial regression for all models except for levels of anxiety related to performing cryostorage tasks, for which Poisson models were used. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE In total, 50.6% (128) of the embryologists in the UK and 50.1% (244) in the US completed the survey. Both groups self-reported moderate PSS and low PHQ-15 scores, although fewer UK embryologists scored high on the MBI cynicism dimension than their US colleagues (43% UK vs 60% US embryologists, P < 0.05). The UK and US embryologists did not differ on the MBI exhaustion dimension with both scoring high for exhaustion (59% UK vs 62% US). Although 81% and 80% of UK and US embryologists, respectively, reported working overtime, more embryologists in the UK reported being adequately compensated. Increasing levels of anxiety-related to cryostorage showed a dose-dependent increased risk of burnout on at least two MBI-GS dimensions only in the UK group, and, a dose-dependent likelihood of higher PSS and PHQ-15 scores in both groups. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION Since the two groups were surveyed 9 months apart and were self-reporting, the study is limited by the differences in responsibilities, scheduling, and workload specific to the time of year. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS Work-related health issues and occupational challenges shared by UK and US embryologists could be addressed by organizational enhancements and technology. Lower levels of stress and burnout among UK embryologists might be due to the HFEA-provided structure/certainty. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) This study was supported without any external funding by TMRW Life Sciences Inc., which is developing and commercializing an automated platform for embryology. M.G.C. and M.S.L. are full-time employees and stockholders/shareholders with TMRW Life Sciences, and A.M. of Novavax, Inc. was an employee of TMRW Life Sciences. G.P. is a consultant for TMRW Life Sciences. The remaining authors declare no conflict of interest. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER NCT05326802; NCT05708963.

中文翻译：

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在英国 HFEA 许可的 ART/IVF 诊所和美国 ART/IVF 诊所工作的胚胎学家报告的胚胎学家压力、体细胞化和倦怠的比较


研究问题 英国和美国胚胎学家报告的职业压力、躯体化和倦怠的患病率以及工作条件对这些健康结果的影响是多少？摘要答案 接受调查的英国和美国胚胎学家报告了中度感知压力、低躯体症状严重程度、高水平的倦怠和整体压力大的工作条件，但差异可能是由于特定国家的职业和就业特征造成的。哪些是已知的？西班牙、英国、美国和国际调查发现，胚胎学家存在高水平的职业压力、躯体化、倦怠和职业健康问题。这些问题归因于胚胎学家的职业挑战和工作条件。研究设计、规模、持续时间 向在英国 ART/IVF 诊所工作的 253 名胚胎学家和在美国 ART/IVF 诊所工作的 487 名胚胎学家发送了一项基于网络的横断面调查。参与者/材料、设置、方法 参与者自我报告了他们的压力水平、躯体化、倦怠和工作条件。使用描述性统计计算感知压力量表 （PSS）、患者健康问卷 （PHQ-15）、Maslach 倦怠量表-一般调查 （MBI-GS）、单项工作单元等级 （A-F） 以及定制的职业和社会人口学问卷的比例。采用 Welch 的 t 检验比较组间 PSS 和 PHQ-15 评分。使用对数二项式回归计算所有模型的风险比，但与执行冷冻储存任务相关的焦虑水平除外，为此使用了泊松模型。主要结果和机会的作用 总的来说，英国 50.6% （128） 和美国 50.1% （244） 的胚胎学家完成了调查。 两组都自我报告了中等 PSS 和低 PHQ-15 评分，尽管在 MBI 犬儒主义维度上得分较高的英国胚胎学家少于他们的美国同事（43% 英国对 60% 美国胚胎学家，P < 0.05）。英国和美国的胚胎学家在 MBI 耗竭维度上没有差异，两者的耗竭得分都很高（英国 59% 对 62% 美国）。尽管分别有 81% 和 80% 的英国和美国胚胎学家报告加班，但英国更多的胚胎学家报告获得了足够的补偿。与低温储存相关的焦虑水平增加表明，仅在英国组中，至少两个 MBI-GS 维度的倦怠风险呈剂量依赖性增加，并且两组 PSS 和 PHQ-15 评分较高的可能性呈剂量依赖性。局限性，谨慎的原因 由于两组相隔 9 个月进行调查并且是自我报告，因此该研究受到一年中特定时间的责任、日程安排和工作量差异的限制。研究结果的更广泛影响 英国和美国胚胎学家共同面临的与工作相关的健康问题和职业挑战可以通过组织增强和技术来解决。英国胚胎学家的压力和倦怠水平较低可能是由于 HFEA 提供的结构/确定性。研究资金/利益争夺 这项研究得到了 TMRW Life Sciences Inc. 在没有任何外部资助的情况下的支持，该公司正在开发和商业化胚胎学自动化平台。M.G.C. 和 M.S.L. 是 TMRW Life Sciences 的全职员工和股东/股东，而 A.M. of Novavax， Inc. 是 TMRW Life Sciences 的员工。G.P. 是 TMRW Life Sciences 的顾问。其余作者声明没有利益冲突。试验注册号 NCT05326802;NCT05708963。