Cross-Sectional Study of Burnout among a Group of Egyptian Oncologists at Ain Shams University

Abstract

Background: Oncologists are at risk of developing burn out syndrome due to many stressors they may face. Aim: To determine the level of burnout in a cohort of clinical oncologists working in an Egyptian university hospital. Methods: Fifty-two clinical oncologists were invited to participate in the study. Burnout was assessed using the Arabic version of Maslach Burnout Inventory Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS). Results: The response rate was 90% (47/52). The majority (70%) of responders were young oncologists and 62% had >10 years experience in the oncology field. Females represented 52% of them and 62% were married. The MBI-HSS scores indicated that 72% of participants had burnout on the emotional exhaustion (EE) scale, 49% on the depersonalization (DP) scale and 38% on the personal accomplishment (PA) scale. A significantly lower PA score was associated with female gender, being single, viewing vacation time as insufficient, and an experience duration <10 years in oncology (p = 0.01, 0.01, 0.03, and 0.02; respectively). The preference not to choose again oncology as a career was also associated with significantly lower PA score and higher EE score (p=0.02 and 0.001; respectively). Conclusion: The surveyed oncologists experienced high burnout. Larger studies are needed in order to assess the burden of the problem and to develop evidence-based interventions to reduce it.

Burnout among oncologists and oncology nurses: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

“…These results may reflect gender differences in DP. Although most oncologist studies included in the meta-analysis had relatively equal representation of men and women (e.g., Eelen et al, 2014; Ghali et al, 2018), there was a higher proportion of women among the oncology nurse studies (e.g., Neumann et al, 2018; Ramirez-Baena et al, 2019). Gender differences regarding DP were also exemplified in previous studies, with men having a higher risk of DP compared with women (Purvanova & Muros, 2010; Putnik & Houkes, 2011).…”

The impact of COVID-19 on the occupational health of oncologists: a descriptive analysis of occupational safety, perceived burnout and social support among practicing oncologists in Alexandria, Egypt

“…A study conducted in Argentina, a LMIC, during the third wave of COVID-19 pandemic found the burnout among the medical oncologists to vary between 14.9 and 47.9 based on different burnout scales they used [31]. In Egypt, before the COVID-19 pandemic, a single institution study showed oncologists were suffering from burnout: 72% had emotional exhaustion, 49% depersonalization, and 38% personal accomplishment [32]. After the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, a multi-center study reported 32% of the Egyptian oncologists having burnout syndrome [33].…”

Establishing a Continuing Educational Program Based on the ESMO/ASCO Recommendations for a Global Curriculum in Egypt and Other Educational Initiatives

“…Burnout and the inability to have a healthy worklife balance are the most serious challenges in our working environment. According to a recently published survey study at the AS clinical oncology department, 72% of participants (52 clinical oncologists) had burnout on the emotional exhaustion (EE) scale, 49% on the depersonalization (DP) scale, and 38% on the personal accomplishment (PA) scale (Ghali et al 2019).…”