The impact of burn-out on emergency physicians and emergency medicine residents: a systematic review

Objective: In this systematic review we explored the different aspects of burnout in emergency medicine physicians and residents. We also investigated the possible solutions for this frequent burden. Design: A systematic review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidance. Data sources: Search terms such as (Burnout OR Burn-out OR 'Burn out') AND ('physicians'[MeSH Terms] OR 'physicians' OR 'physician'*) were utilised to identify studies investigating burnout in emergency physicians and emergency medicine residents. We used four electronic databases (MEDLINE (via the PubMed interface), PsycINFO, Embase (via embas.com interface)), in combination with a manual search amongst reference lists of eligible articles. Results: A total of eleven eligible studies were reviewed. Out of these, 7 and 4 were, respectively, conducted among emergency physicians and emergency medicine residents. The prevalence of burnout varies between 25,4 and 71,4% and between 55,6% and 77,9% in, respectively, emergency physicians and emergency medicine residents. In 82% of the studies Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) was used to estimate this prevalence, while 18% used other methods. The trigger factors for developing burnout in emergency medicine physicians and residents are plural and divers. Conclusions: A wide variety in the burnout prevalence was found in emergency physicians and emergency medicine residents. A non-patient-related problem (such as large administrative tasks) as well as human relations issues were reported as a trigger factor for burnout. Tackling these issues could lead to a breakthrough in the prevention and treatment for burnout.