ARE EMERGENCY MEDICINE PHYSICIANS AT HIGHER RISK FOR BURNOUT?: AN EXPERIENCE FROM SAUDI ARABIA.

Background: Burnout is associated with decreased job performance and low career satisfaction. It has a special significance in health care, where staff experience both psychological–emotional and physical stress. Objectives: to investigate the magnitude and risk of burnout among emergency physicians working at Makkah, Riyadh and Jeddah cities compared to other specialties. Methodology: This study is a cross- sectional analytical study carried out between July and August, 2016 in three main cities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Riyadh, Jeddah and Makkah). One general hospital was selected randomly from each city. All emergency physicians (n=191) and a random sample of other specialty physicians were recruited for the study. A validated questionnaire composed of two parts was used for collecting data. The first part included questions regarding personal and professional characteristics of physicians. The second part was Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) score. Results: A total of 199 physicians (160 ER out of recruited 191 with a response rate of 93.8%) and 39 from other specialties as a control group were recruited. Their age ranged between 23 and 49 years with a mean±SD pf 29.7±4.8 years. Saudis represent majority of them (89.4%). The overall prevalence of burnout among the participants was 41.6%; it was 48.7% among ER physicians and 10% among physicians from other specialties, p<0.001. It is evident that all rate of dimensions of burnout (high emotional exhaustion, high depersonalization and low personal accomplishment were higher among ER physicians than others. Younger (?25 years), female, non-Saudi, low experiences, those working more hours and on-call physicians were more likely to express high emotional exhaustion compared to others. Conclusions: Burnout seems to be not uncommon problem among ER physicians in Saudi Arabia and is associated with personal and professional characteristics. Recommendations for improving employment conditions of physicians and future research are made.