Burnout and well-being in obstetricians and gynaecologists in Hong Kong: a territory-wide cross-sectional survey.

This study aims to assess the prevalence and severity of burnout, depression, suicidal ideation, and anxiety among Obstetrics and Gynaecology (OB-GYN) doctors in Hong Kong and identify their contributing factors. All OB-GYN trainees and specialists in Hong Kong were invited to complete a voluntary online cross-sectional survey. This survey used standardized questionnaires including Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) for burnout, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) for depression, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) for anxiety. A total of 218 doctors completed the survey. Overall, 43.1% of respondents perceived the well-being status of OB-GYN doctors as "poor"; 36.1% as "average" and 20.8% as "excellent." Using a CBI subscale cut-off score of ≥50 (moderate and higher), 56.4% reported personal burnout; 52.8% reported work-related burnout; and 45.4% reported client-related burnout. The prevalence of depression was 21.1% with 13.3% reported presence of suicidal ideation. The prevalence of anxiety was 20.2%. The most cited sources of stress were work demands, followed by working hours and on-call duties. Residents-in-training and those worked more than 50 h a week had higher prevalence of burnout, suicidal ideation and anxiety while having children had protective effect on doctors' well-being. Possible interventions including limiting excessive work hours and on-call duties, promoting flexible work arrangements, protected training activities, reviewing training curriculum and streamlining the logbook, dedicated mental health and wellness programs and comprehensive mentorship programs would help to improve the well-being of doctors. This study identified a considerable level of burnout, depression, suicidal ideation and anxiety among OB-GYN doctors especially in residents-in-training and doctors working for more than 50 h a week. Addressing this critical issue will require a collaborative effort involving healthcare organizations, policymakers and mental health professionals.