Abstract

ALVAREZ-HERNANDEZ, Gerardo; MEDECIGO-VITE, Socorro  and  IBARRA-GARCIA, Carla. Prevalence of Burnout syndrome in medical residents from a pediatric hospital in Sonora, México. Bol. Med. Hosp. Infant. Mex. [online]. 2010, vol.67, n.1, pp.44-51. ISSN 1665-1146.

Background. Burnout syndrome (BS) refers to an arising health problem among medical professionals, particularly in medical residents who perform their duties under stressful scenarios. Several factors such as job stress, length of duties, and working environment have been associated with its occurrence. Accuracy of the prevalence of BS in Mexico is unknown. We undertook this study to determine the prevalence of BS in medical students of a pediatric service from the Hospital Infantil del Estado de Sonora (HIES). Methods. A cross-sectional study was carried out in the year 2008. To evaluate BS, the Maslach Burnout Inventory scale was applied to 58 residents. Differences in scores were assessed using the Kruskal-Wallis test. Results. All study subjects were classified as having some degree of BS; 27.5% were categorized as severe, 44.8% as moderate, and 27.5% as mild (p <0.03). Higher levels of emotional exhaustion (p <0.025) and impersonalization (p <0.005) were observed among third-year residents. Conclusion. BS is a health problem among pediatric residents in the HIES. It is appropriate to design supportive and preventive strategies to ameliorate the negative impact of BS.

Keywords : Burnout syndrome; medical residents; pediatrics; México.