Prevalence of burnout syndrome in gastroenterologists and endoscopists: results of a national survey in Mexico

Background: Burnout syndrome (BOS) is characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment. It affects doctors, patients and their inter-relationship. There is a lack of data on BOS in Mexico. The main objective of the present study is to evaluate the prevalence of BOS in physician members of the Mexican gastroenterological association (MGA) and Mexican association for gastrointestinal endoscopy (MAGE).

Materials and methods: Cross sectional, prospective study through anonymous electronic survey via e-mail, sent to members of the MGA (n = 1192) and MAGE (n = 600). The survey included questions about basic sociodemographic information, Maslach Burnout Inventory, and factors potentially associated with BOS. Continuous variables were summarized as means and ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis test were used to compare groups. Nominal variables were summarized as proportions and Fisher's exact test or Χ2 test were used, as appropriate.

Results: A total of 1792 e-mail invitations were delivered and 411 answers were received with a response rate of 22.9%. The prevalence of BOS according to the Maslach Burnout Inventory was 26.3% (108/411). The prevalence of BOS according to the single-item self-defined burnout question (SISDBOQ) was 32.6% (134/411). The Kappa coefficient for emotional exhaustion between the SISDBOQ and Maslach inventory was 0.48 (p = 0.0001). Factors associated with BOS included performing endoscopic procedures (OR 2.9 (1.2-6.6); p = 0.008), lack of support from colleagues upon complications (OR 0.2 (0.1-0.4); p = 0.0001), receiving frequent reprimands from superiors (OR 2.4 (1.5-3.8); p = 0.0001), work unrelated to medicine (OR 2.4 (1.4-3.9); p = 0.0001), work violence/harassment (OR 3.0 (1.9-4.9); p = 0.0001) and living in a big city (OR 1.9 (1.2-3); p = 0.005).

Conclusion: BOS is a frequent entity in Mexican gastroenterologists and endoscopists. There are potentially modifiable factors associated with BOS.