The prevalence of burnout amongst registrars at the School of clinical medicine at the university of the witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South africa

Abstract

Background: Burnout is a response to prolonged stress and consists of three elements: Emotional Exhaustion (EE); Depersonalisation (DP); and Personal Accomplishment (PA). Existence of burnout under doctors is often not acknowledged but has major consequences for personal and professional life. Only limited research done regarding prevalence of burnout amongst registrars in South Africa. Objectives: To describe the prevalence of burnout, and asses for relationships between burnout and socio-demographic factors. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive, internet survey was conducted. Respondents were registrars within the departments of the School of Clinical Medicine at the University of the Witwatersrand. To measure burnout the Mashlach Burnout Inventory (MBI) was used. Relationships were assessed by independent samples t-test and ANOVA. Results: Of the 585 successfully delivered questionnaires, 201 registrars started the survey (response rate of 34%). 170 questionnaires were analysed. The mean age of the respondents was 33 years, the male to female ratio was 1:1.8. The average score for EE was 3,5 (SD1.2), for DP 2.7 (SD1.1) and for PA 4.1 (SD1.1). The overall level of burnout was 84%. None of the respondents scored low over all categories. No significant association between socio-demographics and MBI dimensions was found. Conclusion: The prevalence levels found in this study was higher than found in national and international literature. Extremely high levels of DP were found. This is worrisome as DP affects professionalism and engagement of doctors. In keeping with international literature no associations were found with socio-demographic factors and burnout, suggesting the cause of burnout should truly be sought out in the work environment. Efforts to improve autonomy in the workspace, development opportunities and promoting peer collaboration, are needed to prevent of burnout.