Ad honorem exhaustion: Burnout prevalence in residents from a Colombian university

Introduction: The number of health professionals diagnosed with burnout syndrome is constantly increasing. Currently, in Colombia, health care institutions are not obliged to pay residents for their work during their training. Besides their living expenses, residents must also pay tuition fees, which constitutes a stressor that may contribute to the development of burnout syndrome. Objective: To measure burnout syndrome prevalence and to identify its possible association with several socioeconomic factors in residents enrolled in 2019 in the residency programs offered by the school of medicine of a public university. Materials and methods: Cross-sectional study conducted in 269 residents that had been enrolled for at least 6 months, and who were classified into two groups according to their residency program: clinical and surgical specialties. Participants were administered a survey to collect their demographic and socioeconomic data, and the Spanish version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory - Human Services Survey for Medical Personnel instrument to determine whether they had burnout syndrome or not. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and associations between socioeconomic data and MBI scores were determined using the chi-squared test. Results: Burnout prevalence was 39.78%. Likewise, the presence of burnout was positively associated with lacking enough funds to pay medical specialty training associated costs (OR: 3.45, CI:2.04-5.82); having experienced recent life changing events in the last 6 months (OR: 1.84, CI: 1.07-3.14); and having had any health issue in the last 6 months (OR: 1.81, CI:1.09-3.01). Conclusion: Burnout is a prevalent condition in the study population. So, until the obligation to pay residents for their work comes fully into force in Colombia, residency programs should be aware of burnout in residents and undergo several modifications aimed at ensuring their well-being.