Work-Related Strain and the Prevalence of Burnout Syndrome in Thoracic Surgeons and Research Assistants in Turkey

Abstract

Background: Burnout syndrome (BS) is a slowly progressing clinical condition that can have negative effects on work life and cause serious social and economic losses. Our hypothesis in this study is that the working conditions of thoracic surgeons affect work-related stress and burnout levels (emotionalexhaustion, depersonalization, personal success). The aim of our study is to determine work-related strain and the prevalence of BS among the thoracic surgeons and research assistants in our country. Materials and Methods: Following the approval of the local ethics committee, 298 professionals were included in this cross-sectional survey study conducted between 01 December 2016 and 31 March, 2017. In addition to the 26 questions examining socio-demographic and work life sent via e-mail, participants were also sent the Work-Related Strain Inventory and the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Results: 81.9% of the participants were male and the age average was found to be 42.0 ± 7.6 (26-63) years. Participants consisted of 112 specialist physicians, 47 research assistants, 29 doctor lecturers/chief assistants, 59 associate professors, 51 professors, while 40.9% were working in university hospitals. The study found that there is no difference in terms of gender in the subscales of Work-Related Strain Inventory and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (p = 0.564, 0.760, 0.359 and 0.579 respectively), and that the score from Work-Related Strain Inventory increased in line with increased academic status, while physicians working at the university got higher scores from Work-Related Strain Inventory (p ˂ 0.0001). It was established that research assistants, and thoracic surgeons working in state hospitals and teaching hospitals had high scores in the emotional exhaustion (p < 0.001) and depersonalization subscales (p<0.001) of the Maslach Burnout Inventory, while professors and those working in university hospitals had higher personal accomplishment scores (p < 0.012). Conclusion: In the study, it was found that professors had higher point at Work-related Strain Inventory and personal accomplishment scores, whereas lower point at emotional burnout and depersonalization scores than in other academic titles. As a result, job-related strain was found to be significantly higher among academics with high workloads.