A cross-sectional survey of burnout in a sample of resident physicians in Sudan

Abstract Background Resident physicians in Sudan suffer multiple physical and psychological stressors. Nevertheless, the prevalence of burnout among this critical population remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of burnout and its related factors in a sample of Sudanese resident physicians. Methods A cross-sectional design was used to assess burnout among resident physicians at the teaching hospitals of Wad-Medani, Gezira state in Sudan. All resident physicians across nine hospitals were asked to join the study. The Arabic version of Maslach Burnout Inventory was distributed to respondents from July to October 2021. Results Out of 300 resident physicians 69.3% responded. The study population had a mean age of 29.99 ± 3.01 years, more than half were females (56.7%) and single (59.6%). In total, 86.1% met the criteria for burnout in at least one dimension, and 13.9 % in all three dimensions.70.7% suffer from a high level of burnout on the dimension of emotional exhaustion (EE), while 44.2% reported a high level on depersonalization (DP) and 73.1% experienced a sense of decreased professional accomplishment (PA). There were significant differences in the levels of burnout, EE and DP among different specialties. Burnout syndrome was associated with working hours per single duty; with participants working for more than 24 hours had experienced higher levels of burnout, EE and DP. Conclusions High prevalence of burnout syndrome was found in this sample of resident physicians in Sudan. Stakeholders should urgently implement effective remedies to protect the mental health of resident physicians.