Physician well-being: prevalence of burnout and associated risk factors in a tertiary hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study is to determine level and factors associated with burnout among physicians in a tertiary hospital in Saudi Arabia. DESIGN AND SETTINGS: This is a cross-sectional study, conducted at the King Fahad National Guard Hospital at in King Abdulaziz Medical City between October 2010 and November 2010. METHODS: The Maslach Burnout Inventory questionnaire was used to measure burnout. Socio-demographic-, specialty-, and work-related characteristics were added to explore factors associated with burnout. RESULTS: The study included 348 participants; 252 (72%) were males, 189 (54%) were consultants, and 159 (46%) were residents. The mean (SD) age was 35 (9.8) years. The burnout prevalence was 243/348 (70%); 136 (56%) of the 243 were residents and 107 (44%) were consultants. Age, female gender, marital status, number of years in practice, sleep deprivation, presence of back pain, and a negative effect of practice on family life were associated with burnout in the univariate logistic regression analysis. The factors independently associated with burnout in the final multivariate model were as follows: suffering from back pain (odds ratio [OR]=2.1, 95%CI 1.2–3.8, P=.01), sleep deprivation (OR=2.2, 95%CI 1.2–3.8, P=.009), being a resident physician/surgeon (OR=4.9, 95%CI 1.7–14.2, P=.004), and negative effect of practice on family life (OR=2.1, 95%CI 1.1–3.9, P=.02). CONCLUSION: In this study, the prevalence of burnout was found to be higher than estimates documented in most other studies. Reported risk factors should be addressed to decrease the prevalence and consequences of burnout.