Prevalence of Burnout Syndrome among Working Physicians in Family Health Centres and Units in Port Said Governorate

Background: The classic symptoms of the syndrome of burnout as described by Maslach et al. are emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and inefficacy. Prolonged exposure to stress is usually the main cause of emotional exhaustion and it manifests through the loss of enthusiasm for work, feeling helpless, trapped, and defeated. Depersonalization occurs when physicians treat patients indifferently, objectify them, and develop a negative attitude toward their colleagues and profession. Inefficiency, or the lack of a sense of personal achievement, is characterized by the individual’s withdrawal from responsibilities and detachment from the job.

Aim: To assess burnout prevalence among physicians of primary health care centers and units in Port Said.

Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with simple random sampling of physicians of primary care centers and units. Burnout was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), a validated 22-item questionnaire considered the gold standard tool for measuring burnout.

Results: In the current study on 155 physicians, the prevalence of burnout was 65.8% among the studied sample with 80%, 65.8%, and 80% of the subjects displayed high Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalization, and low Personal Accomplishment, respectively. Female gender, urban setting of the practice, being married, unsatisfactory salary, sleeping hours 4-8 hours, and working in night shifts were all factors that significantly contributed to physicians’ burnout.

Conclusion: In the current study, a high prevalence of burnout of 65.8% was found among the physicians in PHC centers and units. Gender, setting of the practice, marital status, salary, sleeping hours, and working in night shifts were all factors that significantly contributing to physicians’ burnout.