Prevalence of burnout and influencing factors among Family Doctor Team Members in Guangzhou: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background Family doctor contract service is an important part of primary health care in China, serving a large number of special population. Burnout of family doctor team members(FDTMs) can affect the quality of primary health care, so the high level of burnout among family doctor team members(FDTMs) is a major challenge for strengthening primary health care services. However, few studies examine the status of burnout among FDTMs. The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of burnout on the FDTMs and factors associated with burnout. Methods A cross-sectional design was used to collect data from September 2020 to January 2021, with a self-administered structured questionnaire from 749 FDTMs in Guangzhou, China. The status of burnout was evaluated using the Chinese Maslach Burnout Inventory (CMBI) with three dimensions: emotional exhaustion(EE), depersonalization(DP), and reduced personal accomplishment (PA). The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, variance analysis and stepwise linear regression analysis. Results Of the respondents, the detection rate of burnout reached to 69.83%, 19.76% of members had EE, 38.58% suffered from DP, and 53.40% were exposed to PA. FDTMs who were re-employed, with higher workload, under the age of 30, with lower income, with long working years, cannot balance work and family life, cannot adapt to the working environment, work with clients unharmoniously, and had lower level of professional identity and job satisfaction reported a higher degree of burnout. Conclusion Burnout has become prevalent among FDTMs in Guangzhou, China. Multiple strategies are needed to reduce some high-risk groups' vulnerability to burnout, such as improving doctor-patient relationships, providing safer workplace environments, increasing professional identity and job satisfaction.