Beyond the Stethoscope: Burnout Syndrome Among Interns and Postgraduates in a South Indian Tertiary Care Setting

Vijayakarthikeyan M; Megan Sarah  Mathew; Raju  Kannan S; Sangeetha S

doi:10.55489/njcm.160620255190

Authors

Vijayakarthikeyan M Department of Community Medicine, Vinayaka Mission’s Kirupananda Variyar Medical College and Hospitals, Salem, Af-filiated to Vinayaka Missions Research Foundation (VMRF DU) Deemed to be University, Salem, India
Megan Sarah Mathew CRMI, Vinayaka Mission’s Kirupananda Variyar Medical College and Hospitals, Salem, Affiliated to Vinayaka Missions Re-search Foundation (VMRF DU) Deemed to be University, Salem, India
Raju Kannan S Department of Community Medicine, Vinayaka Mission’s Kirupananda Variyar Medical College and Hospitals, Salem, Af-filiated to Vinayaka Missions Research Foundation (VMRF DU) Deemed to be University, Salem, India
Sangeetha S Department of Community Medicine, Vinayaka Mission’s Kirupananda Variyar Medical College and Hospitals, Salem, Af-filiated to Vinayaka Missions Research Foundation (VMRF DU) Deemed to be University, Salem, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55489/njcm.160620255190

Keywords:

Stress, Depression, Emotional Exhaustion, Residency

Abstract

Background: Burnout is a troubling clinical syndrome characterized by excessive stress, dissatisfaction and a sense of being overworked. Prevalence of burnout varies from 50% to 76%, depending on the specialty across studies. The objectives of the study are to estimate the prevalence of burnout syndrome among interns and residents, and to identify the factors associated with it.

Materials and Methods: It is a facility based analytical cross-sectional study conducted among 300 interns and postgraduates of a tertiary care hospital. Data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. The Copenhagen burnout inventory (CBI) scale was utilized to assess the prevalence of burnout. Chi-Square test was used to test the association and p value < 0.05 was considered as statistical significance.

Results: Nearly 37.7% (113) were working for 41-60 hours in a week. 17.8% had high personal burnout, 14% had high work-related burnout and 47.8% had moderate patient related burnout. Hours of work (>60 hours in a week) were significantly associated with personal, work related and patient related burnout.

Conclusion: Addressing this issue is crucial in the Indian context since burnout has a negative impact on patient care quality in addition to having major effects on the resident's physical and mental health.

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