Abstract

Background:
Burnout, a consequence of chronic work-related stress, is particularly prevalent among veterinarians due to unique occupational challenges. This study investigates the prevalence of burnout within this profession.

Aim:
The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of burnout syndrome among veterinary professionals and to examine work-related stress dimensions as potential antecedents.

Methods:
We conducted a systematic literature review using Eight electronic databases. The snowballing technique was applied by reviewing articles citing the included studies. A specific search for gray literature was carried out using the OpenGrey database. The quality of the included studies was assessed. A synthesis was performed by conducting random-effects meta-analysis to calculate proportions.

Results:
This review included 34 studies with 35,202 participants. The prevalence of burnout was 38.68 %. The most cited dimensions of work-related stress were workload and working hours. Limitations: Veterinarians were not differentiated by sex, age, or employment modality, veterinary medicine is an increasingly female dominated profession and female veterinarians have a higher prevalence of burnout than their male counterparts.

Conclusion:
Considering the high prevalence of burnout in veterinary medicine, proactive measures should focus on preventing burnout. Furthermore, structural and organizational changes should be considered.

Key words: Burnout; Meta-analysis; Prevalence; Stress dimensions; Systematic review.