Training characteristics, personal factors and coping strategies associated with burnout in junior doctors: A multi-center study

• Main Authors: Roslan, Nurhanis Syazni, Yusoff, Muhamad Saiful Bahri, Ab Razak, Asrenee, Morgan, Karen, Shauki, Nor Izzah Ahmad, Kukreja, Anjanna, Rahmat, Norashidah, Andrew, Chin Ri Wei, Basri, Muhammad Fikri Shaharudin, Abd Mokti, Abdullah Shamshir, Yazid, Nur Haziyah Md, Ismail, Munirah, Bakit, Pangie
• Format: Article
• Published: MDPI 2021
• Subjects: RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine
• Online Access: http://eprints.um.edu.my/34558/

Physician burnout has been recognized as a public health crisis. However, there is a paucity of burnout studies in the context of medical internship. We assessed the prevalence and relationship between various training characteristics, personal variables, resilience, and coping with burnout in a cross-sectional study involving 837 interns from ten hospitals across Malaysian healthcare system. The instrument package included demographic questions, the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Brief COPE and the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory. A total of 754 (90.1%) interns completed the inventories. We found a high prevalence of personal-related (73.3%), work-related (69.1%), and patient-related (43.4%) burnout among Malaysian interns. Multivariable analysis showed female gender (odds ratio (OR):1.50; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.02-2.20), prior work experience (OR: 1.56; 95% CI: 1.05-2.30), and irregular spirituality routines (OR: 1.97; 95% CI: 1.30-2.99) were associated with increased odds of personal-related burnout. Irregular spirituality routines (OR: 2.24; 95% CI: 1.49-3.37) were associated with work-related burnout, while living with other people (OR: 1.77; 95% CI: 1.15-2.73) was associated with patient-related burnout. Lower resilience levels and avoidant copings were associated with personal-, work-, and patient-related burnout. Burnout prevalence among interns is high. The findings support the value of individual-targeted alongside organizational-targeted intervention in burnout reduction. As burnout is prevalent in both years of internship training, ongoing burnout prevention and wellbeing measures are deemed necessary.