Burnout Syndrome among Students of a Private Medical College at Lahore

Abstract

Background: Background: Medical education is a dynamic and lifelong process directly linked with human life. The profession is supposed to minimize the human sufferings, prevent diseases and promote the healthy practices at individual and community level. Burnout in undergraduate medical education can influence the academics and overall well-being of the learners in a negative way, which will ultimately affect the process of learning. Objective: The current study was conducted to assess the magnitude of Burnout syndrome among the students of a private medical college. Study Design: Descriptive, cross sectional study design. Place & Duration: The study was conducted during the period of six months from September 2019 to March 2020 at Azra Naheed Medical College Lahore. Methodology: Non probability convenient sampling technique was used and all the students of 3rd and 4th year MBBS were invited for the study. Burnout was evaluated by using the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey (MBI-SS). Approval of institutional ethical review committee and informed consent from the participants were obtained. The collected data was organized, entered in the version 21 of SPSS and analyzed by the use of statistical tools. Results: Out of total 200 participants, 43.5% were females and 56.5 % were males, 55.5% were from 3rd year and 44.5% were from 4th year of MBBS class. The prevalence of high Burnout was found to be 45(22.5%). Gender and residence-based prevalence was studied and calculated P value of (0.87) and (0.41), showed no association. However, a statistically significant association of burnout, (P value 0.003) was found between the 3rd and 4th year MBBS classes. Conclusion: The study concludes that a substantial number of undergraduate medical students suffers from the Burnout syndrome which may influence the health, well-being and academic progress of students in a negative way. Preventive measures including counselling, early diagnosis and clinical management should be opted by the medical institutes. Key Words: Burnout, Medical Education, Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalization