Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to measure the prevalence and factors contributing to burnout syndrome among emergency medicine practitioners in Aseer region, Saudi Arabia.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey study that used a Maslach Burnout Inventory general survey to measure burnout syndrome among emergency care physicians in the Aseer region. The survey consisted of four sections; the first section included demographic information, while the other sections were divided into emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal achievements.
Results: Seventy-three physicians participated in this study, 45.2% were aged between 20 and 30 years, 54.8% were from Khamis Mushait city, 47.9% had years of experience between five and ten years, 41.1% worked in Aseer Central Hospital (COVID-19 Center), and 50.7% of the participants were residents. The physicians were exposed to higher burnout levels in terms of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal achievement, with mean scores of 36.2 ± 10.2, 17.4 ± 5.8, and 28.9 ± 5.7, respectively. Significantly higher levels of emotional exhaustion were detected among age groups between 31 and 40 years (p-value = 0.016), physicians in Aseer Central Hospital (p-value = 0.015), physicians who had only one child (p-value = 0.041), and ex-smokers (p-value = 0.038). Significantly higher levels of depersonalization were detected among age groups between 31 and 40 years old (p-value = 0.012), males (p-value = 0.043), and ex-smokers (p-value = 0.025). At the same time, there was a non-significant difference among the participants regarding the effect of personal achievement.
Conclusion: Emergency medicine physicians were exposed to extreme stress during COVID-19, resulting in significant burnout among them. Similar studies are required in different areas of Saudi Arabia.

Key words: Prevalence, burnout syndrome, emergency medicine, COVID-19, Saudi Arabia