Burnout syndrome among resident doctors in a tertiary medical college in central India-a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Practice of medicine is associated with a high level of occupational stress and burnout. Residents face lot of stress because of the workload and heavy duties as well as a large volume of scientific literature and practical tasks which must be learnt in a limited time. Very few studies from India have evaluated psychological issues, stress, and burnout among medical professionals with few studies focusing on resident doctors.Methods: The invitation link of the survey in the form of Google forms was sent to all residents working in the institute. Although the survey was kept anonymous, personal details relating to the participant’s demographics, academic qualifications, working hours was recorded. The Copenhagen burnout inventory (CBI) scale was utilized to assess the prevalence of burnout. The data obtained were analysed using SPSS-20.0.Results: The average age of respondents was 28 years. The 48.8% (77) residents work for 41-60 hours/week while 57.59% (91) residents have <2 years of experience in government hospital. The 39.24% (62) had the scores that indicate the total burnout. it was found that personal burnout scores, work related burnout scores and personal burnout scores are comparatively higher in 1st year of residency as compared to 2nd and 3rd year of residency. Overall burnout in 1st year residents was significantly high compared to 2nd and 3rd year residents.Conclusions: Burnout syndrome was significantly high among resident doctors. Attention should be directed to identifying the symptoms of burnout syndrome and addressing them through strategies on various levels.