The Prevalence of Burnout and Its Associated Factors Among Surgical Specialists in Kuwait Ministry of Health Hospitals

Amr Akl 1, Idrees Mohiyaldeen 1, Rashed Alshatti 1, Omer Alenezi 1, Ryan Dougherty 1, Abdullah Al-Raihan 1, Salman Alotaibi 1, Nardine Tadros 2 3, Joseph C Longenecker 2 4

Affiliations

31 January 2022

-

doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.679834

Abstract

Background: Workplace burnout is a state of emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization of others (DP), and low personal accomplishment (PA) owing to workplace stressors. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of burnout and its associated factors among surgical specialists in Kuwait.

Methods: This cross-sectional study assessed the prevalence of burnout among 489 surgeons in practice at Kuwait Ministry of Health (MOH). Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Burnout was assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory, which defines burnout as having a high score of EE or DP, or a low score of PA; with severe burnout involving all. The associations between burnout or severe burnout with sociodemographic and occupational characteristics were assessed using multivariate binary logistic regression to adjust for potential confounders.

Results: Prevalence estimates for burnout and severe burnout were 76.9% (95% Confidence Interval = 72.9-80.7%) and 14.0% (11.0-17.5%), respectively. The prevalence estimates for high EE, high DP, and low PA scores were 44.7, 43.1, and 47.2%, respectively. The prevalence of burnout and severe burnout was highest among neurosurgeons. Burnout was lowest among otolaryngology surgeons and severe burnout was lowest among cardiothoracic surgeons. After adjustment, burnout was associated with younger age, lower income, and more on-calls per month. The four most common sources of stress included less family time, verbal assault, case overload, and highly complicated cases.

Conclusion: The prevalence of burnout among surgeons in Kuwait MOH hospitals is high. Occupational health programs should use these findings to design and implement interventions that can treat and prevent burnout in this population.

Keywords: Kuwait; burnout; prevalence; surgeon; surgery.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1 Distribution of MBI subscale scores, by surgical specialty.

Figure 1 Distribution of MBI subscale scores, by surgical specialty.

Figure 2 Distribution of burnout category, by surgical specialty.

Figure 2 Distribution of burnout category, by surgical specialty.

Similar articles

Occupational burnout among active physiotherapists working in clinical hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic in south-eastern Poland.

Pniak B, Leszczak J, Adamczyk M, Rusek W, Matłosz P, Guzik A.Work. 2021;68(2):285-295. doi: 10.3233/WOR-203375.PMID: 33492259

Prevalence and associated factors for burnout among attending general surgeons: a national cross-sectional survey.

Celik SU, Aslan A, Coskun E, Coban BN, Haner Z, Kart S, Skaik MNI, Kocer MD, Ozkan BB, Akyol C.BMC Health Serv Res. 2021 Jan 7;21(1):39. doi: 10.1186/s12913-020-06024-5.PMID: 33413318 Free PMC article.

Vascular surgeon wellness and burnout: A report from the Society for Vascular Surgery Wellness Task Force.

Coleman DM, Money SR, Meltzer AJ, Wohlauer M, Drudi LM, Freischlag JA, Hallbeck S, Halloran B, Huber TS, Shanafelt T, Sheahan MG; SVS Wellness Task Force.J Vasc Surg. 2021 Jun;73(6):1841-1850.e3. doi: 10.1016/j.jvs.2020.10.065. Epub 2020 Nov 25.PMID: 33248123

Burnout in microvascular reconstructive otolaryngology - head and neck surgeons: Potential modifiable workplace factors.

Kejner AE, Patel R, McMullen C, Sykes KJ, Shnayder Y.Head Neck. 2021 Nov;43(11):3522-3529. doi: 10.1002/hed.26847. Epub 2021 Aug 30.PMID: 34459517

Prevalence of burnout and associated factors among general practitioners in Hubei, China: a cross-sectional study.

Gan Y, Jiang H, Li L, Yang Y, Wang C, Liu J, Yang T, Opoku S, Hu S, Xu H, Herath C, Chang Y, Fang P, Lu Z.BMC Public Health. 2019 Dec 2;19(1):1607. doi: 10.1186/s12889-019-7755-4.PMID: 31791282 Free PMC article.

References

  1.  
    1. Shanafelt TD, Sloan JA, Habermann TM. The well-being of physicians. Am J Med. (2003) 114:513–9. 10.1016/S0002-9343(03)00117-7 - DOI - PubMed
  2.  
    1. Aldrees TM, Aleissa S, Zamakhshary M, Badri M, Sadat-Ali M. Physician well-being: prevalence of burnout and associated risk factors in a tertiary hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Ann Saudi Med. (2013) 33:451–6. 10.5144/0256-4947.2013.451 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
  3.  
    1. Arora M, Asha S, Chinnappa J, Diwan AD. Review article: burnout in emergency medicine physicians. Emerg Med Australas. (2013) 25:491–5. 10.1111/1742-6723.12135 - DOI - PubMed
  4.  
    1. Bria M, Spânu F, Băban A, Dumitraşcu DL. Maslach burnout inventory – general survey: factorial validity and invariance among romanian healthcare professionals. Burnout Res. (2014) 1:103–11. 10.1016/j.burn.2014.09.001 - DOI
  5.  
    1. Dimou FM, Eckelbarger D, Riall TS. Surgeon burnout: a systematic review. J Am Coll Surg. (2016) 222:1230–9. 10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2016.03.022 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
  6.  
    1. Elbarazi I, Loney T, Yousef S, Elias A. Prevalence of and factors associated with burnout among health care professionals in Arab countries: a systematic review. BMC Health Serv Res. (2017) 17:491. 10.1186/s12913-017-2319-8 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
  7.  
    1. Burhamah W, AlKhayyat A, Oroszlanyova M, Jafar H, AlKhayat A, Alabbad J. The predictors of depression and burnout among surgical residents: a cross-sectional study from Kuwait. Ann Med Surg. (2021) 65:102337. 10.1016/j.amsu.2021.102337 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
  8.  
    1. Balch CM, Freischlag JA, Shanafelt TD. Stress and burnout among surgeons: understanding and managing the syndrome and avoiding the adverse consequences. Arch Surg. (2009) 144:371–6. 10.1001/archsurg.2008.575 - DOI - PubMed
  9.  
    1. Maslach CJ, Susan; Leiter, Michael. The Maslach Burnout Inventory Manual. 3rd ed. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press; (1996). p. 191-218.
  10.  
    1. Romani M, Ashkar K. Burnout among physicians. Libyan J Med. (2014) 9:23556. 10.3402/ljm.v9.23556 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
  11.  
    1. Shanafelt TD, Hasan O, Dyrbye LN, Sinsky C, Satele D, Sloan J, et al. . Changes in burnout and satisfaction with work-life balance in physicians and the general US working population between 2011 and 2014. Mayo Clin Proc. (2015) 90:1600–13. 10.1016/j.mayocp.2015.08.023 - DOI - PubMed
  12.  
    1. Tokuda Y, Hayano K, Ozaki M, Bito S, Yanai H, Koizumi S. The interrelationships between working conditions, job satisfaction, burnout and mental health among hospital physicians in Japan: a path analysis. Ind Health. (2009) 47:166–72. 10.2486/indhealth.47.166 - DOI - PubMed
  13.  
    1. Elmore LC, Jeffe DB, Jin L, Awad MM, Turnbull IR. National survey of burnout among US general surgery residents. J Am Coll Surg. (2016) 223:440–51. 10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2016.05.014 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
  14.  
    1. Shaher Al-Otaibi ML, Alyali SA, Alshehri TK, Alshehri AK, Alshahrani AA, Banah AG, et al. . Burnout syndrome among southern region orthopedic surgeons, Saudi Arabia. J Family Med Prim Care. (2020) 9:2442–7. 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_142_20 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
  15.  
    1. Shanafelt TD, Boone S, Tan L, Dyrbye LN, Sotile W, Satele D, et al. . Burnout and satisfaction with work-life balance among us physicians relative to the general US population. Arch Int Med. (2012) 172:1377–85. 10.1001/archinternmed.2012.3199 - DOI - PubMed
  16.  
    1. Galaiya R, Kinross J, Arulampalam T. Factors associated with burnout syndrome in surgeons: a systematic review. Ann R Coll Surg Engl. (2020) 102:401–7. 10.1308/rcsann.2020.0040 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
  17.  
    1. Shanafelt TD, Balch CM, Bechamps G, Russell T, Dyrbye L, Satele D, et al. . Burnout and medical errors among American surgeons. Ann Surg. (2010) 251:995–1000. 10.1097/SLA.0b013e3181bfdab3 - DOI - PubMed
  18.  
    1. Lemonaki R, Xanthopoulou D, Bardos AN, Karademas EC, Simos PG. Burnout and job performance: a two-wave study on the mediating role of employee cognitive functioning. Eur J Work Organization Psychol. (2021) 30:10. 10.1080/1359432X.2021.1892818 - DOI
  19.  
    1. Koutsimani P, Montgomery A, Masoura E, Panagopoulou E. Burnout and cognitive performance. Int J Environ Res Public Health. (2021) 18:2145. 10.3390/ijerph18042145 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
  20.  
    1. Salvagioni DAJ, Melanda FN, Mesas AE, Gonzalez AD, Gabani FL, Andrade SM. Physical, psychological and occupational consequences of job burnout: a systematic review of prospective studies. PLoS ONE. (2017) 12:e0185781. 10.1371/journal.pone.0185781 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
  21.  
    1. Koutsimani P, Montgomery A, Georganta K. The relationship between burnout, depression, and anxiety: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Psychol. (2019) 10:284. 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00284 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
  22.  
    1. Dyrbye LN, Shanafelt TD, Balch CM, Satele D, Sloan J, Freischlag J. Relationship between work-home conflicts and burnout among american surgeons: a comparison by sex. Arch Surg. (2011) 146:211–7. 10.1001/archsurg.2010.310 - DOI - PubMed
  23.  
    1. Campbell DA, Jr, Sonnad SS, Eckhauser FE, Campbell KK, Greenfield LJ. Burnout among American surgeons. Surgery. (2001) 130:696–702; discussion−5. 10.1067/msy.2001.116676 - DOI - PubMed

Page Navigation