(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Muscat -
There are significant cases of burnout among primary care physicians (PCPs), a study by researchers in Oman has found.
Medical professionals are exposed to many job stressors every day, which can lead to psychological disturbances as well as burnout syndrome, found a recent study published in Oman Medical Journal.
'We sought to assess the level of burnout among PCPs in Oman and explore risk factors for its development. We conducted a cross-sectional, analytical study among a random cluster sample of 190 PCPs working in Muscat, Oman,' said the authors of the study.
The study found that a total of 6.3 per cent of PCPs working in urban areas in Oman suffered burnout. Long working hours were strongly associated with high occupational burnout, it said. 'Solutions to eliminate or decrease the rate of burnout involve institutional changes, primarily respecting weekly working hours, and in more severe cases psychotherapy help is very important.'
Burnout is a psychological syndrome, characterised by a symptomatic triad: emotional exhaustion (EE), including feelings of tiredness and emptiness; depersonalisation (DP), such as a lack of empathy, increased levels of cynicism and automatism; and a lack of personal accomplishment (PA), including a lack of self-esteem and increased levels of frustration.
Approximately 50 per cent of the PCPs were aged 30-39 years old. The majority were females (78.4 per cent) and married (87.4 per cent).
Eighty-seven PCPs stated that they were under financial strain. More than half of the participants (57.4 per cent) admitted that they had contemplated seeking professional psychological help. 'The overall prevalence of burnout was 6.3 per cent. High levels of EE were reported by 17.8 per cent of the participants, while 38.2 per cent experienced high levels of DP and 21.5 per cent had low levels of PA.
'In our study, the EE, DA, and PA figures fall within the international trend. These figures from PCPs in Oman also appear to be displaying the same trends as other transition societies, such as Turkey, Israel, Egypt, Iran, and Saudi Arabia,' the authors noted.
'Our study, in agreement with others, found that medical professionals, irrespective of their level of training or status, are marked with indices of occupational burnout.'
Although the study found lower prevalence rate compared to the international trend, the results indicate that burnout among PCPs should be of serious concern. 'Therefore, more studies are needed so that an evidence-based intervention can be devised.'
The research was conducted by Tharaya al Hashemi, Department of General Adult Psychiatry, Al Masarrah Hospital, Salim al Huseini, Mohammed al Alawi, Naser al Balushi and Manal al Balushi from the Psychiatry Residency Programme, Oman Medical Specialty Board (OMSB), Samir al Adawi and Hamed al Senawi, Department of Behavioral Medicine, Sultan Qaboos University and Sachin Jose, Studies and Research Section, OMSB.
MENAFN2406201901410000ID1098676598
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.