🎉 We've launched!

Welcome to a whole new world of streamlined practice management

🎉 We've launched!

Welcome to a whole new world of streamlined practice management

🎉 We've launched!

Welcome to a whole new world of streamlined practice management

Measures Guide

Mastering the OLBI: Understanding the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory

Empowering Therapists with In-Depth Insights and Efficient Tools on the OLBI measure, available on Bravely Connect

Empowering Therapists with In-Depth Insights and Efficient Tools on the OLBI measure, available on Bravely Connect

Empowering Therapists with In-Depth Insights and Efficient Tools on the OLBI measure, available on Bravely Connect

Author:Rackley

By Rackley Nolan

COO of Bravely

Published

Published

25 Nov 2023

25 Nov 2023

The integration of the OLBI into Bravely Connect, has proved to be a valuable tool for those seeking a comprehensively assessment for work-related burnout.

In response to inquiries from therapists, we delve into the essence of the OLBI below, offering elucidations and additional insights to foster a nuanced understanding of its application and significance.

In the context of Bravely Connect, an operating system which streamlines therapist and clinic workflows, the OLBI emerges as a pivotal asset. 


What is the OLBI, and how does it work?

The Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI) is a self-report measure that assesses the severity of work-related burnout.

It consists of 16 questions to which an individual indicates their level of agreement with statements related to professional burnout.

The OLBI assesses burnout using two sub-scales: exhaustion and disengagement. Higher scores on the OLBI indicate higher levels of burnout.


What makes the OLBI appropriate for Assessing Burnout?

The OLBI measures emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced professional efficacy. It is a reliable and valid measure, as multiple studies have used it to assess populations of workers in high stress occupations, such as healthcare, education, social services, or industrial work.

The OLBI's focus on exhaustion and disengagement make it useful for measuring burnout in our fast paced world.


Why is the OLBI effective in measuring burnout, especially in high-stress work environments?

The Oldenburg Burnout Inventory is recognised for its efficacy in measuring burnout, particularly in high-stress work settings, owing to several key factors. First and foremost, the OLBI has undergone extensive cross-cultural validation studies, in different countries such as Germany, the United States, and Greece.

This rigorous validation process ensures that the OLBI is applicable and reliable across diverse groups of high-stress workforces, providing a comprehensive understanding of burnout that transcends cultural boundaries. 

Additionally, the OLBI's focus on two dimensions, exhaustion and disengagement, coupled with the inclusion of mixed (both positively and negatively worded) items, addresses limitations associated with other burnout measures. This approach makes the OLBI more nuanced to the experiences of individuals in high-stress professions, or across a variety of challenging occupational contexts.


How to calculate a score for the OLBI?

To score the OLBI manually, each answer is given a value:

  • Strongly agree = 1, Agree = 2, Disagree = 3, Strongly disagree = 4

  • These values are reversed for half of the questions to reflect the nature of the statement: 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12

Once values have been assigned to each answer, sum the eight items for each subscale:

  • Exhaustion = 2, 4, 5, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16

  • Disengagement = 1, 3, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15

  • To get a total burnout score, add these values together

Using an outcome measures is a valuable way of providing professional, measurement based care, with such an important function, it's important to take your time in scoring the results.

If you’d like a much easier way to assign, score and evaluate measures, all with only a few clicks, take a look at Bravely Connect. It’s designed to streamline therapists’ workloads, saving their time and effort across a range of important tasks.


Understanding OLBI Scoring: What Do the Results Mean?

Higher scores indicate higher levels of burnout, with the subscales for exhaustion and disengagement relating to each of the characteristics defining the feeling of burnout.

Some clients may feel enthusiastic about their job, but be over-worked, so it’s important to evaluate how they score on the subscales along with a clinical interview. Please note that OLBI scores are not diagnostic for specific mental health conditions, but serve as a tool to track an individual's perception of burnout in their professional life.


Benefits of Integrating OLBI in Employee Well-Being Programs

For therapists who are working in an EAP role or running employee well-being programs, the use of the OLBI provides a valuable method for assessing burnout, both on an individual and group basis.

The OLBI can be used as a standardised assessment for workplaces to identify prevalence of burnout among stuff, with a pattern of high scores indicating there may be a need for a culture adjustment. It can play a crucial role in identifying and monitoring burnout levels within a company, over a period of time.


How to Choose Between OLBI and MBI for Burnout Assessment

Choosing between the OLBI and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) depends on specific needs. It is worth noting that the OLBI has been created to address some criticisms of the MBI, as the OLBI goes further to evaluate an individuals physical symptoms. Therapists should consider the application, it’s requirements and use professional judgement in their choice.

It’s important to note that the OLBI cannot be used to diagnose specific mental health conditions, it is designed to measure how someone feels about their role and their work, and should always be used as a standardised measure as part of a wider assessment.


How to assign outcome measures like the OLBI, faster?

One of the biggest time sinks for therapists who practice measurement based care, is the time it takes to assign, score and track outcome measures. Between printing, instructing, scoring and tracking, it can often take up to an hour - you can see how it quickly becomes a major time sink.

We built Bravely Connect to save the time spent on these repetitive tasks, freeing up therapists time, and reducing burnout on the most important pillars of our mental healthcare system.


We've included the OLBI outcome measure on Bravely Connect as part of our commitment to better equipping therapists, and our belief we all deserve to work in supportive safe organisations. I hope this has provided some valuable insights, and perhaps sparked some interest in using measures like this one.

We hope to enable therapists to work with different clients, in new settings and feel supported in their business and practice related pursuits. By making outcome measures easier to assign and score, as well as other useful features like scheduling, notes and record keeping, our mission is to reduce 90% of therapist admin, and create more positive and productive therapeutic relationships.

If you have any questions, an outcome measure you'd like to use with clients or see a similar article for, please get in touch with us.

The integration of the OLBI into Bravely Connect, has proved to be a valuable tool for those seeking a comprehensively assessment for work-related burnout.

In response to inquiries from therapists, we delve into the essence of the OLBI below, offering elucidations and additional insights to foster a nuanced understanding of its application and significance.

In the context of Bravely Connect, an operating system which streamlines therapist and clinic workflows, the OLBI emerges as a pivotal asset. 


What is the OLBI, and how does it work?

The Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI) is a self-report measure that assesses the severity of work-related burnout.

It consists of 16 questions to which an individual indicates their level of agreement with statements related to professional burnout.

The OLBI assesses burnout using two sub-scales: exhaustion and disengagement. Higher scores on the OLBI indicate higher levels of burnout.


What makes the OLBI appropriate for Assessing Burnout?

The OLBI measures emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced professional efficacy. It is a reliable and valid measure, as multiple studies have used it to assess populations of workers in high stress occupations, such as healthcare, education, social services, or industrial work.

The OLBI's focus on exhaustion and disengagement make it useful for measuring burnout in our fast paced world.


Why is the OLBI effective in measuring burnout, especially in high-stress work environments?

The Oldenburg Burnout Inventory is recognised for its efficacy in measuring burnout, particularly in high-stress work settings, owing to several key factors. First and foremost, the OLBI has undergone extensive cross-cultural validation studies, in different countries such as Germany, the United States, and Greece.

This rigorous validation process ensures that the OLBI is applicable and reliable across diverse groups of high-stress workforces, providing a comprehensive understanding of burnout that transcends cultural boundaries. 

Additionally, the OLBI's focus on two dimensions, exhaustion and disengagement, coupled with the inclusion of mixed (both positively and negatively worded) items, addresses limitations associated with other burnout measures. This approach makes the OLBI more nuanced to the experiences of individuals in high-stress professions, or across a variety of challenging occupational contexts.


How to calculate a score for the OLBI?

To score the OLBI manually, each answer is given a value:

  • Strongly agree = 1, Agree = 2, Disagree = 3, Strongly disagree = 4

  • These values are reversed for half of the questions to reflect the nature of the statement: 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12

Once values have been assigned to each answer, sum the eight items for each subscale:

  • Exhaustion = 2, 4, 5, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16

  • Disengagement = 1, 3, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15

  • To get a total burnout score, add these values together

Using an outcome measures is a valuable way of providing professional, measurement based care, with such an important function, it's important to take your time in scoring the results.

If you’d like a much easier way to assign, score and evaluate measures, all with only a few clicks, take a look at Bravely Connect. It’s designed to streamline therapists’ workloads, saving their time and effort across a range of important tasks.


Understanding OLBI Scoring: What Do the Results Mean?

Higher scores indicate higher levels of burnout, with the subscales for exhaustion and disengagement relating to each of the characteristics defining the feeling of burnout.

Some clients may feel enthusiastic about their job, but be over-worked, so it’s important to evaluate how they score on the subscales along with a clinical interview. Please note that OLBI scores are not diagnostic for specific mental health conditions, but serve as a tool to track an individual's perception of burnout in their professional life.


Benefits of Integrating OLBI in Employee Well-Being Programs

For therapists who are working in an EAP role or running employee well-being programs, the use of the OLBI provides a valuable method for assessing burnout, both on an individual and group basis.

The OLBI can be used as a standardised assessment for workplaces to identify prevalence of burnout among stuff, with a pattern of high scores indicating there may be a need for a culture adjustment. It can play a crucial role in identifying and monitoring burnout levels within a company, over a period of time.


How to Choose Between OLBI and MBI for Burnout Assessment

Choosing between the OLBI and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) depends on specific needs. It is worth noting that the OLBI has been created to address some criticisms of the MBI, as the OLBI goes further to evaluate an individuals physical symptoms. Therapists should consider the application, it’s requirements and use professional judgement in their choice.

It’s important to note that the OLBI cannot be used to diagnose specific mental health conditions, it is designed to measure how someone feels about their role and their work, and should always be used as a standardised measure as part of a wider assessment.


How to assign outcome measures like the OLBI, faster?

One of the biggest time sinks for therapists who practice measurement based care, is the time it takes to assign, score and track outcome measures. Between printing, instructing, scoring and tracking, it can often take up to an hour - you can see how it quickly becomes a major time sink.

We built Bravely Connect to save the time spent on these repetitive tasks, freeing up therapists time, and reducing burnout on the most important pillars of our mental healthcare system.


We've included the OLBI outcome measure on Bravely Connect as part of our commitment to better equipping therapists, and our belief we all deserve to work in supportive safe organisations. I hope this has provided some valuable insights, and perhaps sparked some interest in using measures like this one.

We hope to enable therapists to work with different clients, in new settings and feel supported in their business and practice related pursuits. By making outcome measures easier to assign and score, as well as other useful features like scheduling, notes and record keeping, our mission is to reduce 90% of therapist admin, and create more positive and productive therapeutic relationships.

If you have any questions, an outcome measure you'd like to use with clients or see a similar article for, please get in touch with us.

Transform your therapy practice with Bravely Connect

Embrace the future of therapy with Bravely Connect. Say goodbye to the hassle of admin, and hello to better client engagement and therapeutic alliance.

With seamless management of scheduling, records, and outcomes, you're ready to elevate your practice. Discover the Bravely Connect difference and start a new era of streamlined practice management!

Transform your therapy practice with Bravely Connect

Embrace the future of therapy with Bravely Connect. Say goodbye to the hassle of admin, and hello to better client engagement and therapeutic alliance.

With seamless management of scheduling, records, and outcomes, you're ready to elevate your practice. Discover the Bravely Connect difference and start a new era of streamlined practice management!

Transform your therapy practice with Bravely Connect

Embrace the future of therapy with Bravely Connect. Say goodbye to the hassle of admin, and hello to better client engagement and therapeutic alliance.

With seamless management of scheduling, records, and outcomes, you're ready to elevate your practice. Discover the Bravely Connect difference and start a new era of streamlined practice management!

author

Bravely

Tech for therapists

Behind Bravely is a team of passionate and determined researchers, psychologists, designers and developers — who are, above all, human beings who know what it’s like to struggle with their mental health.

bravely.io · linkedin · instagram

Insights flown
directly to your inbox

Stay in the loop with articles from fellow practitioners, how-to guides and news from Bravely

Insights flown
directly to your inbox

Stay in the loop with articles from fellow practitioners, how-to guides and news from Bravely

Insights flown
directly to your inbox

Stay in the loop with articles from fellow practitioners, how-to guides and news from Bravely

Keep reading

Keep reading

Keep reading

General

General

Gender disparities in outcome measures

Gender disparities in outcome measures

27 Apr 2024

General

General

Why Measurement Based Care?

Why Measurement Based Care?

5 Apr 2024

PASS measure, a perinatal anxiety screening scale for mental health practitioners working wiht new mothers
PASS measure, a perinatal anxiety screening scale for mental health practitioners working wiht new mothers
PASS measure, a perinatal anxiety screening scale for mental health practitioners working wiht new mothers
PASS measure, a perinatal anxiety screening scale for mental health practitioners working wiht new mothers

Measures Guide

Measures Guide

Perinatal Anxiety Screening Scale (PASS)

Perinatal Anxiety Screening Scale (PASS)

12 Mar 2024

Measures Guide

Measures Guide

Mastering the OLBI: Understanding the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory

Mastering the OLBI: Understanding the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory

25 Nov 2023

Measures Guide

Measures Guide

Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT-C)

Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT-C)

21 Nov 2023

Bravely Connect

Bravely Connect

Bravely Connect launches today!

Bravely Connect launches today!

20 Sept 2023

Bravely Connect

Bravely Connect

Supercharging therapeutic alliances; How tech can boost the most valuable tool for therapy

Supercharging therapeutic alliances; How tech can boost the most valuable tool for therapy

10 Aug 2023

Measures Guide

Measures Guide

Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS)

Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS)

14 Jun 2023

Measures Guide

Measures Guide

The Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI)

The Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI)

13 May 2023

Community

Community

Dr. Carol Lee on tech, inclusivity, and the importance of accessible research

Dr. Carol Lee on tech, inclusivity, and the importance of accessible research

8 May 2023

Measures Guide

Measures Guide

Perceived Stress Scale (PSS)

Perceived Stress Scale (PSS)

1 Mar 2023

Measures Guide

Measures Guide

Patient Health Questionnaire(s) (PHQ-2, PHQ-4, PHQ-8)

Patient Health Questionnaire(s) (PHQ-2, PHQ-4, PHQ-8)

24 Feb 2023

Measures Guide

Measures Guide

Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ)

Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ)

18 Feb 2023

Measures Guide

Measures Guide

PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5)

PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5)

12 Feb 2023

Measures Guide

Measures Guide

Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10)

Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10)

4 Feb 2023

Measures Guide

Measures Guide

Short Form Health Survey (SF-36)

Short Form Health Survey (SF-36)

30 Jan 2023

Measures Guide

Measures Guide

Generalised Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7)

Generalised Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7)

14 Jan 2023

Measures Guide

Measures Guide

The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS)

The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS)

4 Dec 2022

Measures Guide

Measures Guide

Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ)

Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ)

14 Nov 2022

General

General

The HALT: A quick, self check-in

The HALT: A quick, self check-in

17 Dec 2021

Measures Guide

Measures Guide

Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS)

Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS)

4 Dec 2021

Stories

Stories

The trauma that surrounds us

The trauma that surrounds us

11 Aug 2021

Bravely Home Mobile App

Bravely Home Mobile App

What happens to my data on Bravely's mobile app? Our data privacy ethos

What happens to my data on Bravely's mobile app? Our data privacy ethos

8 Aug 2021

General

General

Remotely social: Improving workplace wellbeing

Remotely social: Improving workplace wellbeing

15 Jul 2021

General

General

Give your employees the mental health support they need

Give your employees the mental health support they need

21 Jun 2021

Stories

Stories

Mental illness is invisible and doesn’t discriminate. But some people do.

Mental illness is invisible and doesn’t discriminate. But some people do.

12 Feb 2020

Stories

Stories

Why Bravely ⁠— how my mental health struggles led me to start a new venture.

Why Bravely ⁠— how my mental health struggles led me to start a new venture.

20 Aug 2019

Streamlining your mental health practice with simplified scheduling, tracking, assignments, outcome scoring and client documentation. By elevating client engagement and motivation, you can create a collaborative experience you both will love.

Made with ❤️ from

© 2023 Bravely Tech Pte Ltd.

Streamlining your mental health practice with simplified scheduling, tracking, assignments, outcome scoring and client documentation. By elevating client engagement and motivation, you can create a collaborative experience you both will love.

Made with ❤️ from

© 2023 Bravely Tech Pte Ltd.

Streamlining your mental health practice with simplified scheduling, tracking, assignments, outcome scoring and client documentation. By elevating client engagement and motivation, you can create a collaborative experience you both will love.

Made with ❤️ from

© 2023 Bravely Tech Pte Ltd.