Page 8 - JCBP-2-2

Journal of Clinical and
Basic Psychosomatics Burnout interventions in residency

In China, burnout has been a long-standing problem departments indicate a high incidence of burnout.
within the medical field. Since 2010, there has been a steady A cross-sectional survey of 1743 residents from 14 hospitals
increase in research focused on burnout among Chinese in seven Chinese provinces reported that 78.3% of the
doctors. Notably, the burnout level among residents is surveyed residents met the criteria of burnout, indicating
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significantly high, owing primarily to a lack of proper and a prevalent and even pressing burnout problem among
systematic interventions. Medical graduates who undertake Chinese residents. Dyrbye and Shanafelt demonstrated
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clinical training often experience a heightened incidence that the burnout rate among residents was higher than
of burnout. Interestingly, investigations into the causes of that of the non-medical population, although statistics
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burnout reveal that burnout among residents is not solely varied among different studies. Regional differences were
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linked to their stress level. Instead, standardized training also observed, as some regions in China reported a lower
programs significantly impact their burnout levels. 11 prevalence of burnout among medical students. 12
This article aims to summarize, compare, and analyze 2.1. Methods for collecting burnout data
relevant studies on burnout during residency education.
By focusing on key insights from influential literature, this The level of burnout is usually measured using
article intends to raise awareness surrounding burnout standardized scales, with the Maslach Burnout Inventory
(MBI) being the most influential one, developed by
among residents and advocate for increased research and Maslach and Jackson in 1981. The MBI has three versions:
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measures addressing this issue. Based on existing literature, the MBI-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS), the
the prevalent occurrence of burnout among residents MBI-Educators Survey (MBI-ES), and the MBI-General
hampers the attainment of favorable results in standardized Survey (MBI-GS). Statistics reveal that currently, more
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residency education. Conversely, the standardized residency than 90% of studies related to burnout use these MBI
training model may also have an interactive effect on versions as the measurement tool. Developed by the
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residents’ burnout situations. Therefore, it is theoretically pioneers of the burnout concept, the MBI holds strong
and practically significant to understand the current scientific and statistical validity and reliability, ensuring
research status of burnout among residents and to propose its advantageous position as a research tool and leading
effective control and intervention methods (Figure 1). to its widespread usage in relevant studies conducted in
2. Overview of occupational burnout China and around the globe. Other frequently used scales
in burnout research include the Minnesota Satisfaction
among residents Questionnaire, the Achievement Motivation Scale, the
Studies analyzing the overall status of residents during Beck Anxiety Questionnaire, the Oldenburg Burnout
standardized training and education in different clinical Inventory, and the Postgraduate Hospital Educational
Environment Measure. 15-19 These scales are often used as
supplementary tools to the MBI.
2.2. Strategies for selecting research subjects
Research on resident burnout is steadily expanding
across various departments and regions, encompassing
a wide range of research subjects. The surveyed residents
come from diverse departments, including emergency,
gynecology and obstetrics, pediatrics, radiology,
internal medicine, psychiatry, and general practice. 18,20-22
Geographically, Chinese researchers have covered various
regions of China, while international scholars have
discussed the issue in other nations. 7,15,18,23
However, the existing research on burnout among
residents is still insufficient, evident in the relatively high
concentration of research subjects primarily from one
or a few medical institutions in a certain region. 3,11,12,15
Furthermore, there is a lack of multi-center and multi-
disciplinary collaborative research, with a very limited
number of studies having inadequate sample sizes or
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Figure 1. Countermeasures to burnout. representativeness. These issues may affect the overall

Volume 2 Issue 2 (2024) 2 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcbp.1153