Predictors of burnout among resident doctors in a Nigerian teaching hospital

Abstract

Background: Burnout is a psychological syndrome resulting from exposure to chronic work-related stress. There are, however, a few works of literature on burnout among trainee doctors in Nigeria.

Aim: To determine the prevalence of burnout and its predictors among resident doctors across 16 medical specialties and/or subspecialties.

Setting: The University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Ilorin, Nigeria.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 176 resident doctors between October 2020 and January 2021. The survey included the Proforma and Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey for Medical Personnel (MBI-HSS MP).

Results: The mean age of participants was 35.10 (SD 4.07) years. The prevalence of burnout was 21.6% for high emotional exhaustion (EE), 13.6% for high depersonalization (DP), and 30.7% for low personal accomplishment (PA). Being a younger resident doctor aged 31–35 (OR = 3.715, 95% CI [1.270 – 10.871]) was the only significant predictor for the EE. Predictors of DP included the age group 31–35 years (OR = 7.143, 95% CI [2.297 – 22.216]), duty hours >50 hours per week (OR = 2.984, 95% CI [1.203 – 7.401]), and presence of work-related stress (OR = 3.701, 95% CI [1.315 – 10.421]). A good relationship with colleagues negatively predicted low PA (OR = 0.221, 95% CI [0.086 – 0.572]).

Conclusion: High levels of burnout are prevalent among resident doctors, comparable to international studies. Therefore, the government and other relevant stakeholders must drive legislation and formulate policies toward addressing the work-related factors associated with burnout in the Nigerian healthcare industry.

Contribution: This study highlighted the determinants of burnout among Nigerian resident doctors, which necessitates targeted interventions to address them.