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Resident's Forum
October 18, 2010

Prevalence of Burnout Among Surgical Residents and Surgeons in Switzerland

Author Affiliations

Author Affiliations: Division of Visceral Surgery and Transplantation, Department of Surgery, University Hospital Bern, Bern, Switzerland (Drs Businger and Guller); and Services in Statistics, W[[uuml]]rzburg, Germany (Mr Stefenelli).

 

PAMELA A.LIPSETTMDRICHARD D.SCHULICKMD

Arch Surg. 2010;145(10):1013-1016. doi:10.1001/archsurg.2010.188
Abstract

Burnout is a pathologic reaction in response to long-term work-related stress. The aim of this study was 2-fold: first, to assess the prevalence and degree of burnout among surgical residents and surgeons in Switzerland and, second, to identify predictors of burnout in the surgical community. Four hundred five of 618 anonymous questionnaires (65.5%) were returned. Among respondents, 3.7% and 35.1% showed high and moderate degrees of burnout, respectively. Respondents with high and moderate degrees of burnout had higher summary scores of perceived stress (P < .001). In multiple logistic regression analysis, the strongest predictors of burnout were poor interaction with nurses, disturbances due to telephone consultations, and high overall workload. To reduce burnout, new work models should be sought, in addition to decreasing work intensity and workload rather than restricting work hours alone.

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