Professional burnout and characterization of working conditions for specialists and master's students in Internal Medicine
Abstract
Introduction: working conditions and the work environment should be a matter of concern in work environments in general and within the health sector in particular. The fact that internal medicine doctors face multiple and demanding scenarios that risk their suffering from conditions in connection with their jobs results in this study being focused on them. Objective: to characterize the working conditions, to identify the main risk factors in connection with the job, and its impact on health, and to determine the prevalence of the burnout syndrome in internal medicine doctors and residents.
Methodology: we conducted a descriptive study that included residents and specialists in Internal Medicine, within the universe of members of the Internal Medicine Society of Uruguay. Data was collected from August through September 2012. The Maslach Burnout Inventory survey was used for burnout syndrome, and the GHQ28 questionnaire for cases of Goldberg, and psychosocial variables were determined in the working environment.
Results: 119 doctors were surveyed. Among impact factors, the survey revealed that one out of three physician work over 48 hours a week, that average working time is 12.8 hours a day, there is a high perception of poor hygienic and safety conditions in the workplaces, and a large number of patients per time unit. Ten percent of physicians surveyed are found to present burnout syndrome and 4% of the evidence Goldberg cases.
Conclusions: there is a certain perception that the current working conditions in the specialty exert a negative influence on the on the group’s health, accounting for 10% of the population having burnout syndrome.
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