Prevalence and associated factors of burnout among postgraduate trainee physicians in Bangladesh: a multicentre cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of burnout and its associated factors among postgraduate trainee physicians in Bangladesh.

DESIGN

A multicentre cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Three public tertiary-care academic institutions across the country (Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Chittagong Medical College Hospital and Rangpur Medical College Hospital).

PARTICIPANTS

Study participants were 703 postgraduate trainee physicians from the Departments of Medicine, Surgery and Gynaecology & Obstetrics who were undergoing training programmes entitled Fellowship of the College of Physicians and Surgeons (FCPS), Doctor of Medicine/Master of Surgery (MD/MS) and Diploma/Master of Philosophy (MPhil).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Burnout was assessed using the Abbreviated Maslach Burnout Inventory, which evaluates burnout through three domains: emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalisation (DP) and personal accomplishment (PA). In this study, weighted prevalence estimates were calculated where burnout was defined as a high EE score (≥9) combined with either a high DP score (≥6) or a low PA score (<12).

RESULTS

The mean age was 30.9±3.6 (SD) years, with females comprising 56% of participants. Studied postgraduate trainees were enrolled in FCPS (62.2%), MD/MS (27.2%) and Diploma/MPhil (10.6%) courses. Overall, the prevalence of burnout was 70%, with high EE (68.3%), high DP (57.8%) and low PA (94.7%). Univariate analysis showed burnout was significantly associated with shorter sleep duration (<7 hours: 74.9% vs ≥7 hours: 61.4%, p<0.001) and lack of additional employment (73.5% vs 65.5%, p=0.036). However, multivariate logistic regression showed only shorter sleep duration was the independent predictor of burnout (OR 1.83, 95% CI 1.25 to 2.69, p=0.002).

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates a high prevalence of burnout among postgraduate trainee physicians in Bangladesh. Targeted interventions addressing modifiable associated factors-particularly sleep deprivation, financial stress, and work structure-are urgently needed to promote mental well-being and sustain professional performance.