Predictors of emotional exhaustion among physicians from Iraq - a descriptive cross-sectional multicentre study

Background: Doctors and paramedics in countries suffering from long-acting conflicts, including Iraq, are working in severe and exceptional conditions, putting them under severe physical and psychological pressure, therefore examining burnout is important when dealing with the quality of care and working conditions. This study aimed to assess the point prevalence and to explore factors associated with emotional exhaustion (EE) among medical doctors in Iraq. Methods: Descriptive and a cross-sectional study was conducted (January to June 2014) among a randomly selected sample of medical doctors (n=576, 87.3% response rate) working in twenty large general hospitals and medical centers. In addition to EE, the self-administered questionnaire used was consisting of questions on sociodemographic, work-related characteristics, conflict-related variables, and job satisfaction. EE was measured using the emotional exhaustion subscale of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). Results: The prevalence of EE reported by 60.0% of the respondents. In multiple linear regression analysis, the emotional burnout was higher among doctors who were married, female, bearing children, being threatened, displaced internally, non-specialist doctors, working more than 40 hours per week, experienced unsafe medical practice, disagreed with the way manager handle the staff and those who reported that the doctor-patient relationship as not excellent.  Conclusion: Our findings suggest that job dissatisfaction, conflict, and violence-related factors were significantly associated with a high level of emotional exhaustion among Iraqi physicians.