Burnout among Canadian Psychiatry Residents: A National Survey

Abstract

Objective: Burnout is a serious problem for health care providers that has implications for clinical practice and personal health. While burnout is known to affect residents, no studies have examined the prevalence or impact of burnout among Canadian psychiatry residents. Method: Residents in all Canadian psychiatry training programs were surveyed between May 1, 2014, and July 1, 2014. The survey included a well-validated, single-item measure to assess symptoms of burnout, several demographic questions, and Likert-scale items to assess residents' appraisals of empathic functioning and strategies for coping with stress from patient encounters. Results: Responses were obtained from 400 residents, for a response rate of 48%. Twenty-one percent (N ¼ 84) of residents reported symptoms of burnout. Burnout was reported more frequently by residents in postgraduate year 2 than by those in other years and was associated with engagement in personal psychotherapy during residency. No association was found between burnout and age, gender, or location of residency program. Residents who endorsed symptoms of burnout reported higher levels of compromised empathic functioning, were less likely to consult with supervisors about stressful clinical experiences, and were more likely to engage in unhealthy coping strategies. Conclusions: Symptoms of burnout affect one-fifth of Canadian psychiatry residents. The associations between burnout symptoms and problematic clinical and personal functioning suggest areas of concern for those involved in the training of Canadian psychiatry residents. Abré géObjectif : L'épuisement professionnel est un problème sérieux pour les prestataires de soins de santé qui a des implications dans la pratique clinique et la santé personnelle. Bien qu'il soit connu que l'épuisement professionnel touche les résidents, il n'y a pas eu d'étude sur la prévalence ou l'effet de l'épuisement professionnel chez les résidents canadiens en psychiatrie.Mé thode : Les résidents de tous les programmes canadiens de formation en psychiatrie ont été interrogés entre le 1 er mai 2014 et le 1 er juillet 2014. Le sondage comprenait une mesure validée à un seul item pour évaluer les symptô mes d'épuisement professionnel, plusieurs questions démographiques, et les items de l'échelle de Likert pour évaluer les estimations des rés-idents du fonctionnement empathique et des stratégies d'adaptation au stress d'après leurs rencontres avec les patients.Ré sultats : Les réponses ont été obtenues de 400 résidents, soit un taux de réponse de 48 %. Vingt-et-un pour cent (N ¼ 84) des résidents ont déclaré des symptô mes d'épuisement professionnel. L'épuisement professionnel a été signalé plus fré-quemment par les résidents de 2 e année que par ceux des autres années, et était associé avec un engagement en psychothérapie personnelle durant la résidence. Aucune association n'a été constatée entre l'épuisement et l'âge, le sexe, ou

Burnout and Depression Among Psychiatry Residents During COVID-19 Pandemic

“…This nding is consistent with many studies conducted among psychiatry residents included in a systematic review by Chan MK (23). For example, Kealy and colleagues (24) reported that burnout rates in program year (PGY)-2 and PGY-3 residents ranged from 27-31% compared with 16-18% in PGY-4 and PGY-5…”

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“…Stressors include worries about high financial debt load, extended work hours, sleep deprivation, licensing exams, complex and challenging patient caseloads, repeated exposure to grief and loss, and harassment from staff physicians, allied health workers, patients, and even other residents in training. [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] Compounding these issues are the real and/or perceived fears related to social stigma, negative training evaluations, and jeopardized career opportunities that prevent residents from accessing psychological support/counselling services to help with the management of their personal and professional stress. 4,16 In some cases, this added stress burden leads to burnout.…”

“…Often, it manifests in poor academic performance and substandard patient care. [11][12][13][14][15][17][18] When this happens, residents are more likely to experience crises in professional identity development, situations where their actions do not match who they are or who they want to become. 19 These identity crises can reinforce feelings of fear, failure, lack of self-confidence, and lead to professional self-doubt.…”

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“…2 Their correspondence raises the issue of the connection between burnout and depression, noting that our survey did not consider whether residents who indicated burnout symptoms may have indeed been depressed.…”