Burn Out Among Surgical Residents Working at Government Institutes in Lahore: An Area of Grave Concerns

The term burnout was coined by psychologist Herbert Freudenberger in 1974 in an article entitled "Staff Burnout" in which he discussed job dissatisfaction precipitated by work-related stress. A broadly applicable description defines burnout as a state of mental and physical exhaustion related to work or care giving activities. A long-standing conceptual and operational definition characterized burnout as a triad of emotional exhaustion (emotional over extension and exhaustion), depersonalization (negative, callous, and detached responses to others), and reduced personal accomplishment (feelings of competence and achievement in one's work) In the World Health Organization International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision, burnout is defined as a "state of vital exhaustion." Although no specific diagnosis of burnout is mentioned in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, burnout is a clear syndrome with significant consequences.

Burnout in health care professionals has gained significant attention over the last several years. Given the intense emotional demands of the work environment, clinicians are particularly susceptible to developing burnout above and beyond usual workplace stress. Residency training, in particular, can cause a significant degree of burnout, leading to interference with individuals' ability to establish rapport, sort through diagnostic dilemmas, and work though complex treatment decision making. Overall, burnout is associated with a variety of negative consequences including depression, risk of medical errors, and negative effects on patient safety. The goal of this review is to provide medical educators and leaders with an overview of the existing factors that contribute to burnout, the impact of burnout, inter specialty variation, and suggestions for interventions to decrease burnout.