Keith Allan Yeo Shanhui
National University of Singapore, Singapore
Title: A meta-analysis of prevalence of burnout in medical versus surgical residents globally
Biography
Biography: Keith Allan Yeo Shanhui
Abstract
Burnout amongst both medical and surgical residents is high and still rising. Its adverse effects on both the physician quality of life and patient care have been well studied, yet current literature differ on the overall prevalence of burnout and between the specialties. This meta-analysis aims to shed light on the global prevalence of burnout and how it differs between specialties. PubMed database was curetted for relevant articles we searched for resident-specific data including specialization. We required studies to measure burnout with the Maslach Burnout Inventory and use the criteria of a high score on either emotional exhaustion or depersonalization. This instrument and criteria has been proven to correlate well with burnout and widely used. 183 articles were identified from which 47 studies constituting 22,778 residents met the inclusion criteria. Analysis was conducted with R and using random-effects model, chi-square test, I2 statistic and egger regression test. Overall burnout prevalence was 51.0% (95% CI: 45.0%-57.0%), burnout in surgical residents was 55.1% and was higher than medical residents at 49.1%, though this was not to be significant, p=0.921. Neurology had the highest rate of burnout, whereas psychiatry had the lowest, although the difference between specialties was not significant p=0.532, the ranking of specialties according to pooled burnout prevalence follow previous surveys. Our study included papers from 10 countries and 19 specialties, demonstrating that the challenges and pressures of a resident remains high throughout, regardless of specialization or country and the need to address it remains pressing.