Prevalence of burnout and psychiatric illness among postgraduate trainee doctors of a tertiary care hospital

Abstract

Objective: Burnout is a state of physical and emotional depletion, and it is a result of prolonged exposure to the stressful working environment. Burnout has three primary symptoms: (a) emotional exhaustion (EE) occurs due to a depletion of emotional resources, feeling no longer to give any more to their job; (b) depersonalization (DP) occurs in response to EE, making employees detached from their job and developing uncaring attitudes to their work; and (c) reduced personal accomplishment (PA) with perceiving less enjoyment from their work. Psychological distress is also higher among medical students and doctors than that in the general population. In this study, we intended to study the prevalence of burnout and various psychological problems among postgraduate trainee (PGT) doctors of a tertiary care hospital. Methods: In this cross-sectional study of one year, we recruited postgraduate training doctors whoever gave valid and informed consent. Results: We included 170 PGTs from various clinical departments at the time of our study, but 126 PGTs were included as the sample population. They were assessed for sociodemographic determinants first. Then received assessment using sociodemographic pro forma and Abbreviated Maslach Burnout Inventory and International Classification of Diseases 10 for screening psychiatric morbidity among them. Results: In this study, 31.7% of PGTs had high EE, 34.9% of them higher DP, and 30.2% of them a high burnout rate. Of them, 31.7% of PGTs had a reduced PA with a score ≤ 25 percentile. In this study, 83.3% had no psychiatric illness and 16.7% had a psychiatric disorder. Among psychiatric disorders, 4% had harmful use of tobacco, 4% had mild depression, 1.6% had panic disorder, 4.8% had mixed anxiety depression, 1.6% had obsessive-compulsive disorder, 0.8% had harmful use of alcohol. Highest EE was noted among PGTs from the Department of Anesthesiology, followed by those from the Departments of Pulmonary Medicine and then Radiotherapy. Conclusion: One-third of PGTs suffered from burnout. Psychiatric diseases were also increased with a higher burnout rate.