Prevalence of burnout and associated factors among general practitioners in Hubei, China: a cross-sectional study.

Publisher: BioMed Central Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 100968562 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1471-2458 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 14712458 NLM ISO Abbreviation: BMC Public Health Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: London : BioMed Central, [2001-

Burnout, Professional/*epidemiology ; General Practitioners/*psychology; Adult ; Burnout, Professional/psychology ; China/epidemiology ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Emotions ; Family Practice ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Physician-Patient Relations ; Prevalence ; Primary Health Care ; Risk Factors ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Workplace/psychology ; Workplace Violence/psychology

Background: High occupational burnout among general practitioners (GPs) is an important challenge to China's efforts to strengthen its primary healthcare delivery; however, data to help understand this issue are unavailable. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of burnout and associated factors among GPs.
Methods: A cross-sectional design was used to collect data from December 12, 2014, to March 10, 2015, with a self-administered structured questionnaire from 1015 GPs (response rate, 85.6%) in Hubei Province, Central China. Burnout was measured using a 22-item Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS). MBI-HSS scores and frequency were analyzed by the three dimensions of emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP), and personal accomplishment (PA). Factors associated with burnout among GPs were estimated using a multiple linear regression model.
Results: Of the respondents, 2.46% had a high level of burnout in all three dimensions, 24.83% reported high levels of EE, 6.21% scored high on DP, and 33.99% were at high risk of PA. GPs who were unmarried, had lower levels of job satisfaction, and had been exposed to workplace violence experienced higher levels of burnout. Intriguingly, no statistically significant associations were found between burnout and the duration of GP practice, age, sex, income, practice setting, and professional level.
Conclusion: This is the first study of occupational burnout in Chinese general practice. Burnout is prevalent among GPs in Hubei, China. Interventions aimed at increasing job satisfaction, improving doctor-patient relationships and providing safer workplace environments may be promising strategies to reduce burnout among GPs in Hubei, China.

Erratum in: BMC Public Health. 2022 Oct 12;22(1):1897. (PMID: 36224584)

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18ZDA085 National Social Science Foundation of China; 71804049 National Natural Science Foundation of China

Keywords: Burnout; General practitioners; Influencing factors; Primary healthcare

Date Created: 20191204 Date Completed: 20200303 Latest Revision: 20221012

20240628

PMC6889526

10.1186/s12889-019-7755-4

31791282