Burnout among primary care physicians: a systematic review

• Autor(a) principal: Morelli, Stephanie Giulianne Silva
• Data de Publicação: 2015
• Outros Autores: Sapede, Mário, Silva, Andréa Tenório Correia da
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Revista Brasileira de Medicina de Família e Comunidade (Online)
• Texto Completo: https://www.rbmfc.org.br/rbmfc/article/view/958
• topic: Burnout; Professional; Physicians; Family; Primary Health Care; Review; Agotamiento Profesional; Médicos de Familia; Atención Primaria de Salud; Revisión; Esgotamento Profissional; Médicos de Família; Atenção Primária à Saúde; Revisão; burnout em médicos da atenção primária

Objectives: to analyze the associations between burnout syndrome and individual and work-related characteristics among primary care physicians. Methods: a systematic review was performed using the Medline (PubMed), SciELO, Lilacs and Cochrane databases. In November, 2013, we ran a search based on the descriptors: “professional burnout”, “health personnel”, and “primary care”. We assessed 2,416 titles and 18 studies were selected. Results: the prevalence of burnout was high among primary care physicians. Burnout was associated with physical illnesses, mental disorders, and alcohol and substance abuse. Physicians who had higher levels of emotional exhaustion were more likely to be absent from work, and to change their job. Physicians suffering from burnout were also more likely to increase pharmaceutical expenditure per patient. The work-related characteristics associated with burnout were: length of employment in primary care, number of working hours per week, number of patients attended, type of employment contract, teaching activity, holiday period, and difficulties in dealing with other staff. Conclusion: the high prevalence of burnout among primary care physicians is a major concern for policy makers, since primary care is the cornerstone of health systems, and burnout syndrome can jeopardize the quality of care provided to populations, and the effectiveness of the entire health care system. Understanding the factors associated with burnout allows the development of strategies for intervention and prevention.