Occupational Stress and Burnout among Surgeons in Fiji

Rajeev Patel,Annik Van Toledo,Peter Huggard

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2017.00041

Rajeev Patel, Annik Van Toledo + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2017.00041

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Abstract

This study examined the levels of occupational stress and burnout among surgeons in Fiji. A document set comprising a cover letter; a consent form; a sociodemographic and supplementary information questionnaire; the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI); the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12); the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT); and the Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) questionnaires were provided to surgeons from three public divisional hospitals in Fiji. Thirty-six of 43 (83.7%) invited surgeons participated in the study. According to their MBI scores, surgeons suffered from low (10, 27.8%), moderate (23, 63.9%), and high (3, 8.3%) levels of burnout. Comparatively, 23 (63.9%) demonstrated moderate burnout according to their ProQOL scores. Substantial psychiatric morbidity was observed in 16 (44.0%) surgeons per their GHQ-12 scores. Consumption of alcohol was noted in 29 (80.6%) surgeons, and 12 (33.4%) had AUDIT scores characterizing their alcohol use in excess of low-risk guidelines or as harmful or hazardous drinking. Surgeons of Fijian nationality showed higher MBI emotional exhaustion and depersonalization scores compared with surgeons of other nationalities. Surgeons with an awareness of the availability of counseling services at their hospitals showed low AUDIT and ProQOL burnout scores. Smokers, alcohol drinkers, and kava drinkers showed higher AUDIT scores. This study highlights a level of occupational stress and burnout among surgeons in Fiji and a lack of awareness of their mental and physical well-being. The authors recommend that occupational stress and burnout intervention strategies be put in place in hospitals in Fiji.

Highlights

Occupational stress is a pattern of physiological, emotional cognitive, and behavioral responses that occur when workers are presented with work demands not matched to their knowledge, skills, or abilities and which challenge their ability to cope
Surgery is considered to be a rewarding profession, it is a field that may be associated with high levels of occupational stress and burnout [4], possibly due to the hectic and stressful nature of the role and its high physical demands and emotional challenges
Twenty-six (72.2%) surgeons demonstrated moderate to high levels of burnout on the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) scale, while 23 (63.9%) demonstrated burnout on the Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) scale

Summary

Introduction

Occupational stress is a pattern of physiological, emotional cognitive, and behavioral responses that occur when workers are presented with work demands not matched to their knowledge, skills, or abilities and which challenge their ability to cope. Surgery is considered to be a rewarding profession, it is a field that may be associated with high levels of occupational stress and burnout [4], possibly due to the hectic and stressful nature of the role and its high physical demands and emotional challenges. Occupational burnout may impair a surgeon’s technical performance, cause mental and physical health problems, lead to medical errors, and can (in extreme circumstances) increase suicidal tendency [7]

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