La sindrome de burn-out (desgast professional) entre els pediatres de Lleida

Objective. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of the burn-out syndrome among pediatricians in Lleida, as well as to investigate the variables related to it. Method. A prospective study was performed among a population of 45 pediatricians of the region of Lleida, which included pediatricians from reformed and non-reformed primary care areas, as well as hospital pediatricians. A socio-demographic questionnaire, the Maslach burn-out questionnaire (Spanish version), was used. Also, two additional tests were performed to investigate the degree of anxiety and depression. Results. 34 responses (75%) were received, corresponding to 13 women and 21 men, with a median age of 42.1 years (SD ± 9.2). In nine cases, the criteria for burn-out syndrome were met. These pediatricians did not differ from the rest in relation to age or gender. Pediatricians from reformed primary care areas had higher incidence of burnout syndrome than the other two groups, specially when considering emotional waste (p<0.01; Kruskal-Wallis). Burned-out pediatricians reported more depressive symptoms, felt more disappointed and considered to have little chances for professional promotion. Conclusions. The prevalence of burn-out syndrome among pediatricians from Lleida is 26%. Emotional fatigue rates are higher among pediatricians working in reformed primary care areas. This could be due to the higher number of working hours per week compared with pediatricians working in non-reformed areas, and to the lack of professional incentives when compared with hospital pediatricians. Further studies need to be performed in order to test these hypotheses.