Introduction:

burnout is a chronic stress syndrome, described as a process of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment. It has a high impact both on a personal level and on healthcare quality and safety, and its prevalence is high. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of this syndrome in paediatricians in Lleida, analyse its association with different variables and compare current results with the results of a previous study conducted in 1998.

Method:

we conducted a descriptive, cross-sectional observational study analysing sociodemographic data and Maslach burn-out questionnaire scores. We compared these data to the results of the 1998 study, in which the same information was collected.

Results:

a total of 42 paediatricians (64%) participated in the survey, 66% were female, and the mean age was 42.1 years. Thirty-six percent had scores suggestive of burnout syndrome with emotional exhaustion. There were no differences associated with the number of hours worked, sex, marital status, or the work setting. The paediatricians with the highest level of burnout were more likely to express disappointment and depression in relation to work and or have physical and/or mental illness. On the other hand, respondents who perceived their work as a calling and felt recognised by their organizations had higher scores in the dimension of personal accomplishment. We compared the data of this sample to the data of the 1998 study.

Conclusions:

We found a high level of burnout in 36% of respondents. The data confirmed that approximately one third of paediatricians have significant levels of burnout, which is a structural problem and therefore must be addressed with strategies not only at the individual level, but also at the level of the team and the institution.

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