SP 4.10 The Prevalence and Solutions to Burnout Amongst Surgical Trainees: A Scoping Review
Aimen Nasim, Devaraj Srinivasmurthy, Yang-Yang Yu, Henry SearleAbstract
Background
Burnout is a syndrome of emotional exhaustion, reduced sense of personal accomplishment and loss of sense of self. Increasing attrition rates among surgical trainees have been noted particularly among female trainees. However, there is limited data on the factors contributing to burnout potentially leading to trainee attrition. Interventions to combat burnout and improve trainee well-being are still in their infancy. This review reports prevalence of burnout and methods implemented to improve surgical trainee well-being.
Objective
To report the prevalence and factors contributing to burnout and suggest evidence-based methods that improve burnout and well-being within this cohort.
Methods
Literature search was conducted across five databases, identifying papers on burnout prevalence among female and junior surgical trainees. Papers outlining interventions reducing burnout were also included. Papers were screened against our inclusion and exclusion criteria, yielding 22 papers. Quality was assessed using the modified NOS. Data was extracted and presented in this review.
Conclusion
Trainees reporting discrimination, abuse, or harassment once a month were more likely to experience burnout regardless of gender. Female and junior trainees are more at risk of exposure to negative behaviours in the workplace, contributing to higher burnout. Interventions like mentorship, mindfulness and resilience training reduce burnout and improve surgical trainee well-being. No significant improvement was identified in residents at unionised programmes. However, more needs to be done to educate faculty and raise awareness amongst surgical peers.