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. 2025 Feb 21;13(5):473.
doi: 10.3390/healthcare13050473.

Towards a National System-Level Intervention: Characterization of Burnout Among Trainees of Saudi Postgraduate Healthcare Professions Programs

Saud Alomar  1 , Fahad D Alosaimi  2 , Maher Faden  3 , Sami A Alhaider  4 , Basim S Alsaywid  5   6 , Ziad Nakshabandi  7 , Nehal Khamis  8   9
Affiliations

Towards a National System-Level Intervention: Characterization of Burnout Among Trainees of Saudi Postgraduate Healthcare Professions Programs

Saud Alomar et al. Healthcare (Basel). .

Abstract

Background/objectives: High levels of burnout among healthcare professionals and trainees represent a global problem with identified profound impacts. The collection of national data for better characterization of this problem can guide more needs-sensitive targeted interventions. We aimed to identify the prevalence of burnout, the associated factors, and their impacts among trainees of Saudi postgraduate healthcare professions training programs.

Methods: We conducted an anonymous, cross-sectional survey of 11,500 Saudi Commission for Health Specialties trainees from February to May 2019. The survey included items for socio-demographic data, physical health, and work-related items. We used validated instruments to measure burnout (Maslach Burnout Inventory), stress (Perceived Stress Scale), and depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9).

Results: A total of 6606 postgraduate trainees from different healthcare professions responded (mean age of 28.8 ± 3 years). Fifty-six percent reported burnout symptoms. Burnout was lower among female trainees (aOR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.65-0.82) and higher in trainees working ≥40 h/week (aOR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.03-1.37) and doing ≥six on-call shifts/month (aOR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.03-1.37). Harassment and discrimination increased the risk of burnout by 57% and 60% (aOR = 1.57, 95% CI: 1.36-1.80 and aOR, 1.60; 95% CI, 1.38-1.86), respectively. Burnout trainees had 3.57 adjusted odds to report major depression (95% CI 3.11-4.09), were 1.25 times more likely to report major stress (95% CI 1.36-1.80), and were 1.8 times more likely to complain of sleep disorders (95% CI 1.60-2.04).

Conclusion: This study identified several personal and work-related risk factors and impacts of burnout among our postgraduate trainees. The findings were helpful in guiding the expansion of the national Da'em well-being and prevention of burnout program efforts to a targeted system-level intervention.

Keywords: burnout; depression; discrimination; harassment; health profession; obesity; physicians; stress; trainee.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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