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. 2020 Jul;7(1):e000401.
doi: 10.1136/bmjgast-2020-000401.

Burnout in gastroenterology registrars: a feasibility study conducted in the East of England using a 31-item questionnaire

John Ong  1   2 , Carla Swift  3 , Sharon Ong  4   5 , Wan Yen Lim  5   6 , Yasseen Al-Naeeb  3 , Arun Shankar  7
Affiliations

Burnout in gastroenterology registrars: a feasibility study conducted in the East of England using a 31-item questionnaire

John Ong et al. BMJ Open Gastroenterol. 2020 Jul.

Abstract

Objective: The scale of burnout in UK gastroenterology trainees and the feasibility to determine its prevalence using the validated Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) tool are unknown. The primary objective of this region-wide pilot study was to evaluate the response rate to a 31-item questionnaire. The secondary objectives were to estimate the prevalence of burnout in gastroenterology trainees within the East of England deanery (EoE) and identify common stressors that trainees experience.

Design: This was a cross-sectional study involving gastroenterology trainees from 16 hospitals across the EoE using a 31-item questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of the 22-item MBI-HSS and nine additional free-text questions. All gastroenterology trainees in the EoE were invited to complete the anonymised survey online. Data were analysed quantitatively and qualitatively.

Results: The response rate for the survey was acceptable: 44.0% (40/91). 57.5% (23/40) of gastroenterology trainees reported emotional exhaustion. 23.5% (8/34) had depersonalisation and 63.9% (23/36) experienced low professional accomplishment. Burnout prevalence was 35.3% (12/34). 48.4% (15/31) of gastroenterology trainees were aware of professional support services within EoE. Stressors related to service requirements (eg, workload, staffing levels) and professional relationships with colleagues and patients were commonly reported: 65.6% and 25.0%, respectively.

Conclusions: It is feasible to use a 31-item questionnaire in a national cohort of UK gastroenterology trainees for future burnout studies. Burnout in EoE gastroenterology trainees was high and this may reflect a national prevalence within the specialty. More extensive studies, greater awareness of burnout and improved access to professional support services are required.

Keywords: health service research; psychological stress; psychology; quality of life; screening.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Frequency of burnout symptoms among gastroenterology trainees in the East of England. EE, emotional exhaustion; DP, depersonalisation; LPA, low personal accomplishment.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The frequency of significant stressors reported by gastroenterology trainees and grouped by common themes.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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