High prevalence of burnout among physicians in Győr-Moson-Sopron County, Hungary

Introduction: The burnout of doctors has become an unavoidable issue worldwide, including among the Hungarian doctors. The COVID-19 pandemic has enhanced the burnout among doctors. Objective: To define te prevalence of burnout and to analyze its correlation with the demographic indicators and with the type of healthcare service. Method: Cross-sectional study (n = 481), in which we define the burnout with the Maslach Burnout Inventory HSS (Human Services Survey). Descriptive statistical analysis (mean, standard deviation, frequency) was used to analyze burnout and the prevalence of individual variables. In the case of continuous variables, the differences between the averages of the groups were examined with an independent sample t -test, as well as with variance analysis. In the case of categorical variables, the differences between the proportions of the groups were examined with the chi 2 test. Results: Based on the study with 481 doctors, 89.6% of the respondents were affected with at least one dimension of burnout. Half of the sample (52.8%) had serious emotional exhaustion, while 42.8% of the sample had serious depersonalisation, 45.9% of respondents had seriously reduced personal accomplishment. Nearly every fourth doctor (24.7%) was in the serious range of all three dimensions of burnout. Differentiating the sample, we have found among the younger doctors (age of 25-35 years) an especially high prevalence of burnout. In the group of doctors working only in the private healthcare system, the prevalence of burnout was lower. Conclusion: The prevalence of burnout among doctors in Gy & odblac;r-Moson-Sopron County is high. It is needed to establish a national burnout prevention and intervention strategy for doctors, started already at the medical universities.