Burnout Syndrome among Libyan Physicians in different specialties: An observational cross-sectional study

Abstract Burnout is an occupation-related syndrome comprising emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced feelings of work-related personal accomplishment. The healthcare profession is an exhausting job comprising individual health and mental status. The aim is to determine the prevalence and severity of burnout syndrome among Libyan physicians. An observational cross-sectional study recruited from March to August 2023. months. 731 public and private sector physicians with specialties and subspecialties participated. Once physicians agree to participate in the study, data will be collected using an electronic structured questionnaire comprising two sections. Section one will include socio-demographic characteristics. In section two burnout will be assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS). In our study, a total of 731 physicians from different health facilities were enrolled. The mean age was 36.76 years old (±7.23); the number of male-to-female physicians was (38.1% vs. 61.1%), more than half of physicians were married (60.7%); the mean income was 1672 (±2177.19) LD (US$344.74 ± 448.90), and the mean number of vacation days in the last 12 months was 16.85 ± 26.03 days per year. Among the three dimensions, 47.1% of the physicians reported a high score of burnout for EE, 86.3% for depersonalization, and 18.6% for personal achievement. Age, marital status, specialty, and place of work were significant risk factors for burnout in three dimensions: EE, DP, and PA (p-value <0.05); the highest burnout rates were 16.8% for the medicine, 10.0% for the ICU and anesthesia, 7.6% for surgery, 5.3% for obstetrics and gynecology, and 4.2% for the pediatrics. In conclusion, physician burnout is declared a public health threat if no immediate action is taken to mitigate a work-related burden on physicians.