Burnout of resident doctors in a teaching hospital in Jordan

Background: Burnout syndrome in the medical field recently gained much attention, becoming an essential factor in specialty selection and job satisfaction. In this study, we focus on evaluating the emotional distress among residents of various specialties at a tertiary hospital and associated factors. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study which was done using a sociodemographic questionnaire among residents of various specialties. The collected answers were assessed using Student's t-test and Chi-square test for continuous variables and categorical ones respectively. Results: A total of 250 out of 382 registered residents took the survey with a response rate of 65%, 48% were female, 67.1% single, mean age 27.5 ± 2.2, and mean weekly duty work was 71.8 ± 22.6. 53.6% of residents reported a high grade of emotional exhaustion. Furthermore, 82.4% of the residents exceeded the 24-shift length, reaching a maximum of 56 h straight in-house duty. Male residents reported a higher rate of feeling pressured to work, while female residents reported that they would learn more effectively and commit fewer errors if they slept more. Conclusion: This is the first Jordanian study to measure elements leading to resident emotional distress and its effect on personal achievement. The prompt recognition of risk factors is essential for the achievement of prophylactic actions against resident emotional distress, which can be minimized by a well-defined regulation for residency working hours.