Investigating Burnout in Medical Residents at Kerman University of Medical Sciences

Burnout can negatively affect various aspects of the physical and mental health of medical staff especially medical residents and cause a decline in their performance. The objective of this study was to investigate burnout among medical residents of Kerman University of Medical Sciences in 2018.

This was a descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study carried out in 2018 on 150 medical residents of Kerman University of Medical Sciences selected by convenience sampling. The data were collected using the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory. The data were analyzed via SPSS20 software using Chi-square, independent t-test, and logistic regression.

The means of exhaustion and disengagement subscales were 22.63 and 20.97, respectively. The mean of disengagement was significantly higher in females than in males (P =0.03). The means of burnout and exhaustion were significantly lower in fourth-year residents than in first-year residents (P=0.01). Moreover, there was a positive and significant correlation between the mean of disengagement and the mean of exhaustion (P= 0.001).

It is necessary for the university’s vice-chancellor for education and culture to adopt appropriate policies and strategies to deal with job stress and its leading factors in medical residents.