Analysis of stress level and burnout syndrome among physicians of different medical specialties in primary health care
Introduction. Burnout syndrome is a common problem among healthcareworkers. The aim of the study was to investigate the level of stress, componentsof burnout syndrome and the most common causes of workplacestress among the physicians working in the Primary Health Care CenterBanja Luka, after which the obtained results concerning family physiciansand the physicians of other specialties were compared.Methods. The observational study was conducted by interviewing physiciansduring the period March to May 2018. All employed physicians wereprovided with the following questionnaires: The socio-demographic questionnaire,The questionnaire for self-assessment of the level of stress, Thequestionnaire about the most frequent causes of stress at work and theMaslach Burnout Inventory.Results. The study included 211 physicians, out of a total of 246 physicians(127 family physicians and 84 physicians of other specialties) working inthe Primary Health Care Center Banja Luka. There was a significantly higherlevel of stress (p = 0.011), emotional exhaustion (p < 0.001) and depersonalization(p < 0.001) among family physicians compared to the physiciansof other specialties. There was a significant difference in the presence ofall causes of stress among family physicians, except the stress concerningthe patients requiring emergency care. The multivariate logistic regressionanalysis found that stress was significantly associated with emotional exhaustionin both groups and with personal accomplishment in family physicians.In family physicians, there was a significant association between ahigh level of depersonalization and personal accomplishment. In physiciansof other specialties significant association was found between educationand emotional exhaustion as well as personal accomplishment, and betweenfemale gender and high level of depersonalization.Conclusion. The level of stress and the burnout syndrome were considerablymore present in family physicians compared to physicians of otherspecialties.