Burnout syndrome in medical students during clinical training

Abstract

Introduction: Burnout syndrome denotes undesirable stress reactions in one's professional sphere which reduce their work output and create dissatisfaction with their career. The last decade was characterized by intense research on this problem occurring in medical profession, highlighting the fact that the previous formative period of studying and specialization gives a significant contribution to burnout. Objective: This study was aimed at assessing the influence of stress during medical studies on the development of burnout syndrome in medical students by the end of clinical training. Methods: This cross-sectional study included all the fifth-year students from the Medical Faculty in Novi Sad and Belgrade in 2011, of whom 178 and 375, from the respective faculties, volunteered to fill in an anonymous questionnaire containing questions on selected socio-demographic data, length and accomplishments of previous courses, stress, various activities (including examinations, contact with patients, relationship with the teaching staff and other staff working at clinics). The 22- item Ma{cyrillic}sla{cyrillic}ch Burnout Inventory (MBI) was applied to assess the risk of developing burnout syndrome. Results: At the assessment of burnout syndrome the values of depersonalization were very high on the sub-scale MBI-DP in 73.1% of all respondents, whereas 52.7% of medical students from Novi Sad and 31.9% from Belgrade had high values for emotional exhaustion (MBI-EE). Examinations, as defined by half of all students, were the most stressful activity in both groups of students. Among the predictors of high risks of developing burnout syndrome, stressful effects of contact with patients were prominent for high MBI-EE: OR=1.59 (95%CI:1.15-2.21), and for high MBI-DP: OR=1.49 (95%CI: 1.00 -2.24) as well as stressfulness of examinations which significantly affects high MBI-EE: OR=1.33 (95%CI: 1.04 -1.70 Conclusion: The high prevalence of burnout among the medical students by the end of their clinical training underlines the necessity of modifying the existing curriculum so that it would prepare future doctors much better to overcome stress associated with the direct contact with patients. In addition, material to be covered for examinations should be reduced since examinations, besides contact with patients, represent the most stressful individual effect.