Burnout Syndrome in cardiology residents

Abstract

Background: Chronic exposure to physical and emotional stress situations during residency is a scenario favorable for burnout syndrome setting. Objectives: To determine burnout syndrome prevalence among cardiology residents from Argentina, and its association with demographic variables and personal habits. Methods: We performed a survey based on the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) to determine burnout prevalence according to each of its constitutive elements (emotional exhaustion,
depersonalization and personal fulfillment). We used the chi-squared test (X2) to evaluate the degree of association between these components and demographic variables, performing leisure activities and working in another institution besides residency. Results are shown in percentages. Results: We performed 175 surveys. One hundred percent of individuals showed impairment in at least one burnout component. Seventy-three percent showed a high level of emotional exhaustion, 66% had high level of  depersonalization and 75% showed low levels of personal fulfillment. We found a statistically significant association between high levels of exhaustion and lack of leisure activities (X2=0.035, α=0.05), and a higher level of personal fulfillment among those residents who answered they worked in another institution besides the residency (X2= 0.205, α=0.05). We did not find any significant association between burnout and demographic variables. Conclusion: Burnout syndrome is a prevalent condition among cardiology residents, and it is related to personal and institutional factors. Better and novel.