The prevalence of burnout, risk factors and job-related stressors in gastroenterologists: a systematic review

Abstract

ABSTRACTBackground and aimsClinician burnout is an important occupational hazard and the scale of the problem within gastroenterology remains poorly understood. The primary objective of this study was to identify the prevalence of burnout and its symptoms in gastroenterologists. The secondary objective was to identify risk factors and job-related stressors that commonly contribute to burnout in gastroenterologists.MethodsSystematic searches were conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane and PsycINFO by two reviewers independently for articles published to 1 September 2020. The primary outcome measure was the reported prevalence of burnout in gastroenterologists. The secondary outcome measures were (i) the prevalence of burnout symptoms (emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and low personal accomplishment) and (ii) the frequency of risk factors and stressors reported in studies. Data were tabulated and meta-analyses were presented as Funnel and Forest plots.ResultsData were extracted from 11 studies. 54.5% (6/11) of these studies reported the prevalence of burnout in gastroenterologists; this ranged from 18.3% to 64.4%. Similar to burnout prevalence, burnout symptoms showed geographical variation and were common in gastroenterologists (up to 63.9%). Factors associated with work volume, age, and female gender were the three most frequently reported risk factors for increased levels of anxiety, stress or burnout in 72.7% (8/11), 54.5% (6/11), and 45.5% (5/11) of studies respectively. Significant methodological and clinical heterogeneity was observed.ConclusionsBurnout and its symptoms are common in gastroenterologists but the syndrome is understudied within the field. Further research and good quality data are needed to help address the problem.Disclose StatementJO is funded by the British Society of Gastroenterology to conduct burnout research in the UK, and the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Foundation (Australia) to conduct burnout research in Southeast Asia.