Beyond the Stethoscope: Burnout Syndrome Among Interns and Postgraduates in a South Indian Tertiary Care Setting

Background: Burnout is a troubling clinical syndrome characterized by excessive stress, dissatisfaction and a sense of being overworked. Prevalence of burnout varies from 50% to 76%, depending on the specialty across studies. The objectives of the study are to estimate the prevalence of burnout syn...

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Main Authors: Vijayakarthikeyan M, Megan Sarah Mathew, Raju Kannan S, Sangeetha S
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Medsci Publications 2025-06-01
Series:National Journal of Community Medicine
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.njcmindia.com/index.php/file/article/view/5190
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author Vijayakarthikeyan M
Megan Sarah Mathew
Raju Kannan S
Sangeetha S
author_facet Vijayakarthikeyan M
Megan Sarah Mathew
Raju Kannan S
Sangeetha S
author_sort Vijayakarthikeyan M
collection DOAJ
description Background: Burnout is a troubling clinical syndrome characterized by excessive stress, dissatisfaction and a sense of being overworked. Prevalence of burnout varies from 50% to 76%, depending on the specialty across studies. The objectives of the study are to estimate the prevalence of burnout syndrome among interns and residents, and to identify the factors associated with it. Materials and Methods: It is a facility based analytical cross-sectional study conducted among 300 interns and postgraduates of a tertiary care hospital. Data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. The Copenhagen burnout inventory (CBI) scale was utilized to assess the prevalence of burnout. Chi-Square test was used to test the association and p value < 0.05 was considered as statistical significance. Results: Nearly 37.7% (113) were working for 41-60 hours in a week. 17.8% had high personal burnout, 14% had high work-related burnout and 47.8% had moderate patient related burnout. Hours of work (>60 hours in a week) were significantly associated with personal, work related and patient related burnout. Conclusion: Addressing this issue is crucial in the Indian context since burnout has a negative impact on patient care quality in addition to having major effects on the resident's physical and mental health.
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spelling doaj-art-70a46a58e09d44d5bd7f0a4526a49df02025-08-20T02:03:20ZengMedsci PublicationsNational Journal of Community Medicine0976-33252229-68162025-06-01160610.55489/njcm.160620255190Beyond the Stethoscope: Burnout Syndrome Among Interns and Postgraduates in a South Indian Tertiary Care SettingVijayakarthikeyan M0Megan Sarah Mathew1Raju Kannan S2Sangeetha S3Department of Community Medicine, Vinayaka Mission’s Kirupananda Variyar Medical College and Hospitals, Salem, Af-filiated to Vinayaka Missions Research Foundation (VMRF DU) Deemed to be University, Salem, IndiaCRMI, Vinayaka Mission’s Kirupananda Variyar Medical College and Hospitals, Salem, Affiliated to Vinayaka Missions Re-search Foundation (VMRF DU) Deemed to be University, Salem, IndiaDepartment of Community Medicine, Vinayaka Mission’s Kirupananda Variyar Medical College and Hospitals, Salem, Af-filiated to Vinayaka Missions Research Foundation (VMRF DU) Deemed to be University, Salem, IndiaDepartment of Community Medicine, Vinayaka Mission’s Kirupananda Variyar Medical College and Hospitals, Salem, Af-filiated to Vinayaka Missions Research Foundation (VMRF DU) Deemed to be University, Salem, India Background: Burnout is a troubling clinical syndrome characterized by excessive stress, dissatisfaction and a sense of being overworked. Prevalence of burnout varies from 50% to 76%, depending on the specialty across studies. The objectives of the study are to estimate the prevalence of burnout syndrome among interns and residents, and to identify the factors associated with it. Materials and Methods: It is a facility based analytical cross-sectional study conducted among 300 interns and postgraduates of a tertiary care hospital. Data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. The Copenhagen burnout inventory (CBI) scale was utilized to assess the prevalence of burnout. Chi-Square test was used to test the association and p value < 0.05 was considered as statistical significance. Results: Nearly 37.7% (113) were working for 41-60 hours in a week. 17.8% had high personal burnout, 14% had high work-related burnout and 47.8% had moderate patient related burnout. Hours of work (>60 hours in a week) were significantly associated with personal, work related and patient related burnout. Conclusion: Addressing this issue is crucial in the Indian context since burnout has a negative impact on patient care quality in addition to having major effects on the resident's physical and mental health. https://www.njcmindia.com/index.php/file/article/view/5190StressDepressionEmotional ExhaustionResidency
spellingShingle Vijayakarthikeyan M
Megan Sarah Mathew
Raju Kannan S
Sangeetha S
Beyond the Stethoscope: Burnout Syndrome Among Interns and Postgraduates in a South Indian Tertiary Care Setting
National Journal of Community Medicine
Stress
Depression
Emotional Exhaustion
Residency
title Beyond the Stethoscope: Burnout Syndrome Among Interns and Postgraduates in a South Indian Tertiary Care Setting
title_full Beyond the Stethoscope: Burnout Syndrome Among Interns and Postgraduates in a South Indian Tertiary Care Setting
title_fullStr Beyond the Stethoscope: Burnout Syndrome Among Interns and Postgraduates in a South Indian Tertiary Care Setting
title_full_unstemmed Beyond the Stethoscope: Burnout Syndrome Among Interns and Postgraduates in a South Indian Tertiary Care Setting
title_short Beyond the Stethoscope: Burnout Syndrome Among Interns and Postgraduates in a South Indian Tertiary Care Setting
title_sort beyond the stethoscope burnout syndrome among interns and postgraduates in a south indian tertiary care setting
topic Stress
Depression
Emotional Exhaustion
Residency
url https://www.njcmindia.com/index.php/file/article/view/5190
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