Burnout Syndrome Among Medical Interns
Burnout syndrome (BS) is a psychological condition that affects human service professionals who work in stressful and demanding environments. BS is characterized by three main dimensions: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment. Emotional exhaustion refers to the feeling of being drained and overwhelmed by one’s work. Depersonalization refers to the development of negative and cynical attitudes towards one’s clients or patients. Reduced personal accomplishment refers to the loss of self-efficacy and satisfaction in one’s work.
BS is a serious problem that can have negative consequences for both the individual and the organization. BS can impair the physical and mental health of the affected person, leading to increased risk of cardiovascular disease, anxiety, depression and suicide. BS can also compromise the quality of care provided to the patients, resulting in lower empathy, increased medical errors and reduced patient satisfaction.
Medical interns are particularly vulnerable to developing BS, as they face high levels of stress, workload, responsibility and uncertainty during their training period. Medical interns have to cope with long working hours, sleep deprivation, emotional demands, ethical dilemmas and academic pressure. Moreover, medical interns often lack adequate social support, feedback and recognition from their supervisors and peers.
The prevalence of BS among medical interns varies across different studies and settings, but it is generally high. For example, a cross-sectional study conducted in 2015 with 121 medical interns in Brazil found that 57.5% of them had BS . Another cross-sectional study conducted in 2018 with 106 medical interns in India found that 22% of them had BS . A recent study conducted in 2022 with 150 medical interns in Oman found that 34% of them had BS .
Several factors can influence the development of BS among medical interns, such as personality traits, coping strategies, extracurricular activities and social support. Some personality traits, such as neuroticism, perfectionism and low extraversion, have been associated with higher risk of BS . On the other hand, some coping strategies, such as problem-focused coping and seeking social support, have been associated with lower risk of BS . Additionally, some extracurricular activities, such as community service and sports, have been associated with lower levels of depersonalization . Furthermore, social support from family, friends and colleagues has been shown to buffer the effects of stress and prevent BS .
Therefore, it is important to identify and address the factors that contribute to BS among medical interns, as well as to implement preventive and intervention programs to reduce its impact. Some possible strategies include:
– Providing regular feedback and recognition to medical interns for their work
– Enhancing communication and collaboration among medical interns and their supervisors
– Promoting a supportive and respectful work environment
– Reducing workload and improving work-life balance
– Encouraging participation in extracurricular activities and hobbies
– Providing access to psychological counseling and support services
By adopting these strategies, medical interns can improve their well-being and performance, as well as provide better care to their patients.
References
: Fontana MC, Generoso IP, Sizilio A, Bivanco-Lima D. Burnout syndrome, extracurricular activities and social support among Brazilian internship medical students: a cross-sectional analysis. BMC Medical Education. 2020;20(1):81. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-020-01998-6
: Jotibannad DY, Peethala P, Gopalakrishnan G. Burnout syndrome research paper writing help among medical interns and its correlation with personality- a cross sectional study. Journal of Evidence Based Medicine and Healthcare. 2018;5(51):3470-3474. https://doi.org/10.18410/jebmh/2018/707
: Al-Maamari MZM, Al-Maamari MZM, Al-Maamari MZM et al. The role of chronic physical illness and job dissatisfaction on burnout’s risk among medical interns in Oman: a study of prevalence and determinants. Middle East Current Psychiatry. 2022;29:56. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43045-022-00221-0
: Kumar S, Singh A. Evaluation of burnout in medical interns: an institutional study. International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences. 2017;5(5):1869-1873. https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20171514
