Prevalence and determinants of burnout among South African doctors during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Background: Burnout, resulting from chronic workplace stress that has been unsuccessfully managed, has previously been documented in doctors. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has increased occupational challenges faced by doctors, potentiating their risk for burnout.

Aim: This study aimed to determine the prevalence and determinants of burnout among medical doctors during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Setting: Three public sector hospitals in Gqeberha, South Africa.

Methods: A cross-sectional study of 260 voluntary participants was conducted. Participants completed self-administered electronic questionnaires. Logistic regression analysis was performed to explore the determinants of burnout.

Results: The prevalence of burnout in this study was 78%. Burnout was significantly associated with being a medical intern or community-service medical officer (adjusted odd ratio [AOR] = 6.72, 1.71–26.40), being in the lowest income band (AOR = 10.78, 2.55–45.49), and using alcohol to manage work-related stress (AOR = 3.01, 1.12–8.04). Job-related factors associated with burnout were experiencing high conflict at work (AOR = 5.04, 1.92–13.20) and high role ambiguity and role conflict (AOR = 4.49, 1.98–10.18). Low support at work (AOR = 9.99, 3.66–27.23), medium job satisfaction (AOR = 5.38, 2.65–10.93) and medium support at work (AOR = 3.39, 1.71–6.73) were positively associated with burnout. Participants with medium (AOR = 0.28, 0.10–0.80) and high levels of resilience (AOR = 0.08, 0.03–0.25) were protected against burnout. Coronavirus disease 2019-related factors were not significantly associated with burnout.

Conclusion: The burnout prevalence among South African medical doctors at public hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic was high and strongly associated with job stress factors.

Contribution: Given the increased prevalence of burnout among doctors and the strong associations with job stress factors, mitigation of burnout requires targeted organisational interventions.