Medical registrars at the University of the Free State: Burnout, resilience and coping strategies
Background: Burnout among doctors has been linked with decreased quality of patient care. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic highlighted the need to protect doctors’ mental health and well-being. This study aimed to investigate burnout, resilience and coping strategies among registrars...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
AOSIS
2023-12-01
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| Series: | South African Family Practice |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://safpj.co.za/index.php/safpj/article/view/5788 |
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| Summary: | Background: Burnout among doctors has been linked with decreased quality of patient care. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic highlighted the need to protect doctors’ mental health and well-being. This study aimed to investigate burnout, resilience and coping strategies among registrars in the MMed programme of the University of the Free State (UFS) in 2020.
Methods: In this quantitative, cross-sectional study, a link to an online anonymous self-administered questionnaire with socio-demographic questions, perceived stress, Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI), Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale and Brief Cope was emailed to all 278 registrars.
Results: Sixty registrars responded (response rate 21.6%). More than half (55.0%) were male and 73.3% were married. There were 28.3% second- and third-year students, respectively. Most (58.3%) had 5–10 years’ work experience. The CBI personal scale had the highest median value (58.3; interquartile range [IQR]: 43.3; 70.8) with 70% scoring ≥ 50. The median score for resilience was 78 of 100 (IQR: 69; 84). There were weak negative correlations between resilience and burnout scores (r = –0.31 to r = –0.37). Planning, positive reframing and acceptance were the most frequently used adaptive coping mechanisms; self-distraction was the most frequently used maladaptive coping mechanism. There was no association between gender and burnout and resilience scores.
Conclusion: Registrars were resilient with low levels of patient- and work-related burnout, and higher personal burnout, using mostly positive coping strategies.
Contribution: This study gives insight into the well-being of registrars at the UFS during COVID-19. Continuous monitoring and support for this population are essential to foster mental health and well-being. |
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| ISSN: | 2078-6190 2078-6204 |