Factors associated With burnout among French digestive surgeons in training: results of a national survey on 328 residents and fellows.

BACKGROUND: Digestive surgery training is notoriously difficult and medical students choose this path less and less often leading to a veritable demographic crisis for this specialty in France. The aim of this study was to evaluate the working conditions to measure the prevalence of burnout syndrome (BOS) and to identify potential risk factors to implement preventive measures and appropriate support.

METHODS: This was a multicenter, cross-sectional study. An anonymous questionnaire was sent by e-mail to 500 French digestive surgeons in training (residents and fellows).

RESULTS: The response rate was 65.6%. The mean working week was 75.7 hours (±12) and the mean number of night shifts was 5.3 (±1.6)/month. Sixty-seven percent of respondents had trouble sleeping and 12% reported suicidal thoughts. High-emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment low scores were observed respectively in 24.7%, 44.6%, and 47%, corresponding to a high score of BOS in 52%.

CONCLUSIONS: This study showed a high rate of BOS in French digestive surgeons in training and a worrying rate of suicide ideation.