Work-life balance amongst residents in surgical and non-surgical specialties in a tertiary care hospital in Karachi

Objective: To assess work-life balance among medical residents at a tertiary hospital. Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted from September to December 2016 at a private-sector tertiary care hospital in Karachi, and comprised medical residents working at the facility. A standardised, self-administered questionnaire was developed on the basis of Canadian Mental Health quiz and a study in literature. The questions aimed at assessing satisfaction with work as well as emotional and personal life of residents in various medical and surgical specialties. SPSS 20 was used for data analysis. Results: Of the 275 residents, 129(46.9%) were males and 146(53.1%) were females. The overall mean age was 28.19 +/- 2.194 years. Of the total, 13(4.7%) participants thought they had work-life balance; 165(60%) felt their job had negatively affected their private lives; 118(42.9%) felt worn out; 109(39.6%) expressed moderate dissatisfaction with work-related factors; 119(43.3%) were dissatisfied with life outside work; and 93(33.8%) were dissatisfied their health. Conclusion: There was minimal work-life balance among the residents.