A systematic review and meta-analysis of physician resident burnout in Egypt

Abstract

Physician resident burnout in Egypt represents a critical concern for the well-being of healthcare professionals and the quality of patient care. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to comprehensively assess the prevalence, severity, and key risk factors contributing to burnout among physician residents in Egypt over the past decade. We searched five databases (Ovid Medline, Embase, APA PsycInfo, Scopus, and Web of Science) in May 2024 for studies that examined burnout prevalence, severity, and/or associated risk factors in Egypt among physician residents or bachelor’s degree holders in medicine. We excluded articles that investigated the causes of burnout in senior physicians, such as specialists, as well as articles that investigated the causes of burnout in other healthcare workers. The prevalence was pooled using generalized linear mixed models while the scores of each Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) element (depersonalization [DP], emotional exhaustion [EE], and reduced personal accomplishment [RPA]) were estimated using the log-transformed mean differences. All values are presented along with the 95% confidence interval (CI). The review included eleven studies with 804 resident physicians. The meta-analysis included only nine studies. Three studies reported that 84% [95%-CI: 44–97%] of physician residents experienced burnout, with 67% [95%-CI: 44–85%], 73% [95%-CI: 48–89%], and 54% [95%-CI: 39–68%] having high DP, EE, and RPA, respectively. One study provided an overall Maslach Burnout Index score with a mean of 29.8 (SD = 4.8), while five others reported mean scores for DP (17.64, 95%-CI: 12.85–24.23), EE (32.09, 95%-CI: 27.76–37.08), and RPA (27.89, 95%-CI: 24.93–31.22). Key risk factors included long working hours, job stress, depression, and workplace violence. Although our review emphasized the high prevalence of burnout among physician residents in Egypt, the heterogeneity observed in the reporting of the results of the included studies might contribute to an overestimation of the true prevalence of burnout, underscoring the need for further research in the field. Nonetheless, the need for systemic reforms remains unquestionable, including workload reduction, improved work-life balance, standardized training, merit-based advancement, and anti-abuse policies.