Burnout Syndrome Among Medical Residents

Whether and to what extent burnout risk is actually higher in surgical specialties than in non-surgical specialties is still unknown. Little is also known about what factors are associated with burnout between surgical residents and non-surgical residents. In this context, the present study has a three-fold aim: 1) to measure the prevalence of burnout among a sample of Italian medical residents; 2) to contrast the prevalence of burnout and psychological distress in surgical residents and non-surgical residents, and 3) to identify the work-related factors associated with burnout between surgical residents and non-surgical residents.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Burnout Syndrome

Detailed Description

Surgical training is considered to be very stressful among residents and graduating medical students choose less often surgery for their career. To elaborate burnout prevention programs, the assessment of the prevalence of burnout during the early career stage of the surgeons and associated risk factors, becomes central.

Residents from the University of Bologna were asked to participate in an anonymous online survey. The residents completed a set of questions regarding their training schedule and three standardized questionnaires: 1) the Maslach Burnout Inventory, assessing the three dimensions of burnout: emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP), and personal accomplishment (PA); 2) the Zung Self-Rating Depression scale; 3) the Psychosomatic Problems scale. High scores in either the EE or DP subscale categories predicted professional burnout.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 679

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Italy
  • BO
    • Bologna, BO, Italy, 40100
      • University of Bologna

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: ADULT; OLDER_ADULT; CHILD
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

All the residents attending the University of Bologna in the academic year 2017/2018

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• residents attending the University of Bologna

Exclusion Criteria:

• none

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
surgical residents; Surgical specialties included general surgery, plastic surgery, urology, vascular surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, orthopedic surgery, pediatric surgery, cardiothoracic surgery and otolaryngology.
non-surgical residents; Non-surgical specialties included cardiology, rheumatology, neurology, pulmonary disease, endocrinology, nuclear medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, internal medicine, oncology, nephrology, hygiene and preventive medicine, anesthesiology, child and adolescent psychiatry, radiology, radiation oncology, infectious disease, dermatology, pathology, microbiology, hematology, gastroenterology, geriatric medicine, medical genetics, sports medicine, occupational and environmental medicine.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Maslach Burnout Inventory	a validated 22-item questionnaire that evaluates burnout in its three dimensions: emotional exhaustion (EE) depersonalization (DP) and personal accomplishment (PA). Responses are made on a 7-point Likert scale ranging from 0 ("never") to 6 ("daily").	3 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale	The level of depressive symptoms was measured using the 20-item Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale. Items responses rank from 1 ("none or little of the time") to 4 ("most or all of the time"), and the total score range from 20 to 80 points. A score of 50 and above indicated the presence of at least mild-moderate depressive symptoms.	3 months
Psychosomatic Problems Scale	Psychosomatic symptoms were measured using the Psychosomatic Problems Scale, which consists of 8 items: difficulty concentrating, sleep problems, headache, stomachache, tensions, lack of appetite, feeling sad, and dizziness. Responses are rated on a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 ("never") to 5 ("always"). Participants answering "often" or "always" on an item are coded as having a psychosomatic symptom.	3 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna
• Investigators: Study Director: antonio d pinna, MD, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Maslach C, Schaufeli WB, Leiter MP. Job burnout. Annu Rev Psychol. 2001;52:397-422. doi: 10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.397.
• Serenari M, Cucchetti A, Russo PM, Fallani G, Mattarozzi K, Pinna AD, Colonnello V, Poggioli G, Cescon M. Burnout and psychological distress between surgical and non-surgical residents. Updates Surg. 2019 Jun;71(2):323-330. doi: 10.1007/s13304-019-00653-0. Epub 2019 Apr 2.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (ACTUAL): October 16, 2017
• Primary Completion (ACTUAL): November 5, 2017
• Study Completion (ACTUAL): November 6, 2017

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 9, 2018
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 11, 2018
• First Posted (ACTUAL): September 12, 2018

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (ACTUAL): September 12, 2018
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 11, 2018
• Last Verified: September 1, 2018

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: burnout; residents; surgical residents
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Pathologic Processes; Disease; Stress, Psychological; Syndrome; Burnout, Psychological
• Other Study ID Numbers: 105543

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No