Prevalence and co-variates of burnout in consultant hospital doctors: burnout in consultants in Ireland Study (BICDIS)

Objectives: Burnout is prevalent among doctors and affects the quality of patient care. Little research on burnout in consultant-level doctors has been done. The objective of this study was to measure burnout in the hospital consultant population in Ireland. Methods: Surveys were distributed to consultants in Ireland from September to December 2016. The anonymous online survey combined demographic questions and the Maslach Burnout Inventory General Survey. Results: Four hundred seventy-seven (22%) consultants completed the survey. Of these, 42% reported high levels of burnout. We found that face-to-face contact with patients, specialty, exercise, remuneration and type of contract influenced burnout levels. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that over 40% of the consultants studied are affected by burnout. This finding raises concerns for patient safety and standard of care as well as doctors well-being. Interventions to address and minimise burnout are important to guarantee high patient outcomes and retain medical staff.