A study of resident duty hours and burnout in a sample of Saudi residents

Abstract

BackgroundWork hour restrictions in residency programs have been implemented over the last several decades in Europe, USA, and Canada. To best of our knowledge, there is no study of resident duty hours in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In addition, few studies have looked at the prevalence of burnout amongst Saudi residents. The present study explored resident duty hours and burnout amongst residents in Saudi Arabia.MethodsA paper-based questionnaire was designed to survey resident duty hours in Saudi Arabia and was administered along with the Maslach Burnout Inventory. The questionnaires were administered to residents in medical and surgical residency programs at King Abdulaziz Medical City-Riyadh and two hospitals in Buraidah, Qassim Province.ResultsA total of 181 residents from the three hospitals participated in the survey. In terms of average number of work hours per week, 50% of all residents reported working 60–79 h while 30% reported working 80 or more hours per week. The prevalence of burnout was 81%. There was no association between higher number of working hours and the prevalence of burnout.ConclusionThis was the first study describing resident duty hours and exploring the relationship between duty hours and burnout in Saudi Arabia. Our main findings were that the majority of residents work 60 or more hours per week, and there was a very high degree of burnout amongst residents. A larger multi-centre study of resident duty hours and its effect on patient safety and resident well-being is needed to develop work hour regulations in Saudi Arabia. In addition, there is an urgent need to develop programs that address resident burnout.

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<p>Study Habits of Urology Residents in Saudi Arabia: Identifying Defects and Areas for Curricular Development – A Trainee-Based Survey</p>

“…24 Hameed et al (2018) study was the first to describe residents' duty hours by surveying Saudi medical and surgical residency programs at three training centers, and it found 50% working 60-79 hours while 30% worked 80-plus hours per week. 25 The impact of the 80-hour resident workweek on both surgical residents and attending surgeons has been examined, 26 with residents' quality of life found to improve after work-hour changes. As documented by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) surgical case logs, the PGY5 increased their case volume, while all other residents maintained the same case volume despite the reduction in work hours.…”

Orthopaedic Resident Burnout: A Literature Review on Vulnerability, Risk Factors, Consequences and Management Strategies

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