Background and Objective: Occupational burnout is a common problem among medical interns, which is of concern due to its negative impact on patient care and commitment of medical errors. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of burnout among medical interns at Iran University of Medical Sciences in Tehran, Iran in 2021.
Materials and Methods: This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was performed on all interns of Iran University of Medical Sciences in 2021. Demographic information of participants, such as age, gender, and marital status was asked and recorded. Afterward, the name of the hospital, the number of working hours per week, and the number of months since the beginning of the internship were asked. Next, the consumption of cigarettes and narcotics and the duration of consumption or the previous history of consumption were checked. Subsequently, a questionnaire was presented regarding the factors affecting occupational burnout. This scale had 22 items and measured three areas of burnout (emotional burnout, depersonalization, and lack of personal success).
Results: In this study, 262 interns were examined, and emotional burnout, depersonalization, and lack of personal success were observed in 144 (55%), 65 (24.8%), and 160 (61.1%) participants, respectively. The mean burnout score was 62.96 ± 17.04, and 241 people (92%) experienced occupational burnout in general. Female participants experienced more occupational burnout than males, but there was no significant relationship between occupational burnout and gender (P>0.05). Moreover, severe burnout was more frequent in single participants, but burnout was not related to marital status (P>0.05). Besides, occupational burnout had no significant relationship with smoking and drug use (P>0.05); however, its relationship was significant with alcohol use (P=0.01). In addition, age and the number of months spent in the internship period were not related to the burnout score (P>0.05); nevertheless, a significant and direct relationship was observed between the number of working hours per week and the burnout score (P=0.01, Pearson Correlation=0.15).
Conclusion: Results of this study showed that burnout is a very common problem among interns. Moreover, risk factors, such as being single, working long hours per week, drinking alcohol, and to some extent smoking make it worse. In addition, it was found that job burnout led to the neglect of personal life and success in it. Accordingly, with more monitoring of the conditions and factors affecting the life of each intern, their job activity should be adjusted, and if problems arise, measures should be taken to solve them.
Type of Study:
Research |
Subject:
Reconstructive urology Received: 2023/07/29 | Accepted: 2023/11/4 | Published: 2024/08/31