1360P - Prevalence of burnout syndrome among Brazilian oncologists, a national survey

Abstract

Burnout Syndrome (BS) has been recognized as an important issue for oncologists worldwide. The objective of this study was to explore the prevalence of BS, and to explore factors related to this condition. During the 19th national oncology meeting sponsored by Sociedade Brasileira de Oncologia Clínica (SBOC) in 2015, participants were requested to fill in an anonymous survey, which included the Maslach Burnout Inventory – Human Services Survey, a validated tool for diagnosing BS, as well socio-demographic and the CAGE questionnaire. The prevalence of BS was calculated using both the Ramirez et al. and Grunfeld et al. criteria. Among physicians, 108 completed the survey. Among attendants, 52% were female, 67% had a stable relationship, 51% had kids and 18% were still under his training in oncology. Median age was 37.5 years, and median time spent in oncology practice was 10 years. Among them, 61 (57%) consume alcoholic beverages regularly, and 10 (9.5%) were considered addicted according to the CAGE questionnaire. According to Grunfeld et al. and Ramirez et al criteria, BS was found in 70 (65.4%) and 8 (7.5%) of physicians. According to Ramirez et al. criteria, female gender (p = 0.038), not having children (p = 0.022), were related to the risk of having BS. On multiple analyses, however, none of these characteristics impacted on the prevalence of BS. According to Grunfeld et al criteria, female gender (p = 0.010), not having children (p = 0.005), training physician (p = 0.041), more than 40 working hours per week (p = 0.056) not having time for physical activities (p < 0.001) and fast visit duration (p = 0.033). None of these characteristics were associated to BS in MV analysis.Tabled 1Uni- and multiple analysis for factors associated to Burnout Syndrome; UV: univariate analysis; MV: multivariate analysisRamirez et al.Grunfeld et al.N(%)P UVP MVN(%)P UVP MVGenderMale120.0380.1592752.90.0100.113Female712.5--4376.8--ChildrenNo713.70.0220.1074178.80.0050.135Yes11.8--2952.7--Oncology Training Status----Completed----5360.90.0410.538Under Training----1785--Weekly work hours----≤ 40 h per week----1047.60.0560.171> 40 h per week----6069.8--Mean visit duration----< 20 min----28800.0330.861≥ 20 min----4259.2--Physical Activities----≤ 2 h per week----4282.4<0.0010.832> 2 h per week----2850-- Open table in a new tab Burnout Syndrome is a condition highly frequent among Brazilian physicians. We could not identify relevant factors influencing its high prevalence in this setting.