Background: Burnout is a well-recognized phenomenon that may manifest with feelings of stress, fatigue, or exhaustion. It is a common and emerging problem among healthcare workers. Medical students may be at increased risk of burnout given the rigorous nature of their training. However, there is a paucity of data on the burden of burnout among medical students in Africa.
Aim: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of burnout, as assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory – Student Survey (MBI-SS) as well as factors associated with the development of burnout among students pursuing Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) degrees at Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST), Uganda.
Methods: A single-centre, cross-sectional, online survey was conducted among MBChB students of MUST. Burnout was assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory – Student Survey (MBI-SS) tool. Bivariate analysis and backward stepwise logistic regression analysis were performed to assess possible associations between variables related to participants’ demography, socioeconomic, personal, learning environment, outside school environment aspects and burnout prevalence scores.
Results: A total of 145 medical students, 102 (70.3%) male, with a median (range) age of 23 (18– 40) years were studied. A total of 135 students (93.1%) presented with high levels of emotional exhaustion, 90 (62.1%) students had low levels of professional efficacy scores and 141 (97.2%) of the medical students had high levels of cynicism. Overall, 79 (54.5%) students had burnout, as defined by the MBI-SS tool. Choosing MBChB willingly appears to be an independent predictor of burnout (Adjusted odds ratio: 7.2; 95% CI: 1.4– 36.9; p=0.018).
Conclusion: More than one-half of medical students questioned at MUST do experience a degree of burnout. Preventative and interventional measures should be considered in the development of the medical curriculum.



中文翻译：

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乌干达一所公立大学医学生的倦怠及相关因素：一项横断面研究

背景：倦怠是一种众所周知的现象，可能表现为压力、疲劳或精疲力竭的感觉。这是医护人员中一个常见且正在出现的问题。鉴于训练的严格性，医学生可能面临更高的倦怠风险。然而，关于非洲医学生倦怠负担的数据很少。
目的：本研究旨在确定倦怠发生率，使用 Maslach 倦怠量表 – 学生调查 (MBI-SS) 进行评估，以及与攻读医学学士和外科学士学位 (MBChB) 的学生倦怠发展相关的因素乌干达姆巴拉拉科技大学 (MUST) 学位。
方法：对澳门科技大学医学学士学生进行单中心、横断面、在线调查。使用 Maslach 倦怠清单 – 学生调查 (MBI-SS) 工具评估倦怠。进行双变量分析和向后逐步逻辑回归分析，以评估与参与者的人口统计、社会经济、个人、学习环境、校外环境方面和倦怠患病率分数相关的变量之间可能的关联。
结果：共有 145 名医学生接受研究，其中 102 名（70.3%）为男性，中位（范围）年龄为 23（18-40）岁。共有135名学生（93.1%）的情绪疲惫程度较高，90名学生（62.1%）的专业效能得分较低，141名（97.2%）的医学生愤世嫉俗程度较高。总体而言，根据 MBI-SS 工具的定义，79 名 (54.5%) 学生出现了职业倦怠。自愿选择 MBChB 似乎是职业倦怠的独立预测因素（调整后的比值比：7.2；95% CI：1.4–36.9；p=0.018）。
结论：超过一半的在必须接受调查的医学生确实经历过一定程度的倦怠。在制定医学课程时应考虑预防和干预措施。