Burnout syndrome in a clinical management unit for obstetrics and gynecology

Objective: To determine the prevalence of the Burnout Syndrome among the members of an Obstetrics and Gynaecology Unit. Material and methods: Cross-sectional study using an anonymous questionnaire and socio-Spanish version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Results: The survey was answered by 21 doctors, 11 matrons, 14 DUE, 22 nurses, 2 administrative officers and 1 watchman, with a response rate of 43.2%. Average values were 20.1 points for the emotional exhaustion, depersonalization 7.6 points to 42.1 points and for personal fulfilment. We found higher values of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization in the group of doctors in relation to other professional groups. Conclusion: We believe that 33.8% is an alarmingly high level of emotional exhaustion in the members of the present study, and this level is even higher in medical specialists (52.3%). Only the 2.8% of the professionals had high values in the three sub-scales. (C) 2009 SECA. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L. All rights reserved.