Burnout and Perceived Stress among Post-Graduate Medical Residents: Findings of a Longitudinal Survey

Abstract

Background: Few longitudinal studies have been conducted on burnout, workload, and perceived stress in resident doctors. We assessed the degree and correlates of burnout and perceived stress among postgraduate resident doctors over two academic years.
Materials and Methods: Over 90 post-graduate resident doctors were surveyed at the end of their first and second academic years. The ICD-10 Symptom Checklist, Cohen’s perceived stress scale (PSS-10), Maslach burnout inventory (MBI), Zung self-reported depression scale (ZSRDS), somatic symptom scale-8 (SSS-8) were administered along with pre-designed proforma to collect data on socio-demographic and work-related variables.
Results: The majority (80%) of residents reported some level of burnout. A higher number of residents reported high burnout at the end of the first academic year compared to the second year. The mean scores of the MBI, ZSRDS, PSS-10, and SSS-8 were significantly lower at the end of the second year than at the first year. The multivariate analysis revealed that marital status and workload were significantly associated with burnout. Unmarried resident doctors had significantly lower emotional exhaustion sub-domain scores on the MBI at the end of the first and second sessions. Higher workload is very likely to be associated with burnout (odds ratio, 15; 95% CI, 1.89–119.0; p <0.001).
Conclusion: A greater number of post-graduate resident doctors reported high burnout and perceived stress at the end of the first academic year compared to the second year. Workload was found to be the most significant factor associated with burnout. Interventions to manage stress and address burnout among resident doctors in the first academic year are recommended.