Assessment of burnout amongst resident doctors in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Burnout amongst healthcare professionals has gained significant attention over the last few decades. As a result of the intense demand from the work environment, clinicians are susceptible to developing burnout beyond the usual workplace stress. Residency training, in particular, can cause significant degree of burnout.

Aim: The aim was to determine the prevalence and pattern of burnout amongst resident doctors in Benin City.

Materials and methods: This study utilised a descriptive, cross-sectional study design. A total population study was carried out amongst resident doctors in Benin City. The tool for data collection was a pretested Maslach Burnout Inventory Questionnaire-Human Services Survey for Medical Personnel. Data were analysed with IBM SPSS version 22.0 software. The level of significance was set at P < 0.05.

Results: A total of 448 resident doctors with a mean age (standard deviation) of 33.9 ± 0.4 years participated in this study. A higher proportion (279, 62.3%) of the respondents were males. A total of 267 (59.6%) respondents suffered emotional exhaustion (EE), while depersonalisation and reduced personal accomplishments were suffered amongst 211 (47.1%) and 153 (34.2%), respectively. The overall prevalence of burnout was 41.7%. Long duration of call hours (P < 0.001) and speciality (P = 0.039) were found to be significantly associated with burnout.

Conclusion: Burnout was prevalent amongst resident doctors in Benin City. EE was the most reported type. There is a need for relevant stakeholders to re-structure the residency programme by reducing the duration of call hours and increasing the number of resident doctors on call per shift to further address modifiable risks amongst the would-be specialists.

Keywords: Benin City; burnout; emotional exhaustion; residency.