Prevalence and Causes of Burnout among Physicians in Arar City, KSA

Alanazi, Anfal Marzouq; Altarfawi, Khulud Awad; Aledeilah, Rawan Deham; Alsulobi, Anwar Matar; Meshref, Hisham Nasef Mohammed

doi:10.21608/ejhm.2022.220744

Prevalence and Causes of Burnout among Physicians in Arar City, KSA

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

10.21608/ejhm.2022.220744

Abstract

Background: Sinceburnoutisacommoncondition,anditsprevalenceisexpectedto increase with time, lack of knowledge about such problem could impede early diagnosis and may lead to delays in seeking appropriate care. Objective: to estimate the prevalence and factors associated with burnout among physicians in Saudi Arabia. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted during the period from 1 June to 30 November 2021 on a sample of physicians in health care centers in Arar city. All data were collected, tabulated, and statistically analyzed using SPSS 23.0 for windows.
Results: Of all 303 participants, 51.5% were males and 48.5% were females. 33.7% of study sample aged between 20- 30 years old. Most (91.7%) of them were working 6-10 hours per day. Only 1% of participants were working 3 days a week, 5.6% 4 days a week and 64.4% 5 days a week. Only 8.9% of our study participants felt emotionally exhausted because of work every day, 17.2% several times a week and 14.9% once a week. As for burnout, 9.2%, 11.9%, 11.6%, 13.9%, 14.5%, 21.1%, and 17.8% felt burned out every day, several times a week, once a week, several times a month, at least once a month, at least few times a year, and never respectively. 23.4% planned to quit their current job. Conclusion:Physicians in Saudi Arabia suffer from burnout and emotional exhaustion within reported ranges in previous literature. Actions must be taken to avoid exhaustion, stress, and emphasize pliability.

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