Objective To explore the relationship between occupational burnout and sleep quality among medical workers, as well as the mediating effect of emotional equilibrium and the moderating effect of mindfulness.

Methods A survey was conducted on 367 medical workers from the top tertiary general hospitals in Shanghai using the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS), the Chinese Version of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (C-PANAS), the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Data were analyzed using SPSS 26.0 software for descriptive statistics and correlation analysis; the Process plugin was used to analyze the mediating effect of emotional equilibrium and the moderating effect of mindfulness, with the Bootstrap method for testing mediation and moderation effects.

Results A total of 312 valid questionnaires were collected, with an effective response rate of 85.0%. The total score for occupational burnout among medical workers was (49.8 ±14.8) points, emotional equilibrium was (6.7 ±2.0) points, mindfulness was (61.0 ±13.7) points, and sleep quality was (6.2 ±2.5) points. Occupational burnout was predictive of sleep quality in medical workers, with a total effect size of β = 0.55 (P < 0.001). Emotional equilibrium played a partial mediating role in this relationship, with an indirect effect (β = 0.13, P < 0.001) accounting for 23.64% of the total effect. The product of occupational burnout and mindfulness in medical workers had a statistically significant predictive effect on sleep quality (β = -0.16, P < 0.001) and also on emotional equilibrium (β = 0.10, P < 0.001). Mindfulness, as a moderating variable, could modulate the relationship between occupational burnout and sleep quality in medical workers, as well as the relationship between occupational burnout and emotional equilibrium.

Conclusions Medical workers in the top tertiary general hospitals in Shanghai showed a moderate level of occupational burnout and poor sleep quality. Occupational burnout has a direct impact on the sleep quality of medical workers and could also have an indirect impact through the mediating effect of emotional equilibrium. Improving the level of mindfulness can enhance the sleep quality of medical workers.