Burnout syndrome is one of the manifestations of distress in healthcare workers and is characterised by emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalisation (DP), and a sense of low personal accomplishment (PA). The surgical residency is a period of intense training that imposes major challenges on future surgeons, who may therefore be at high risk for burnout syndrome. Nevertheless, no data on burnout syndrome in orthopaedic and trauma surgery (OTS) residents in France is available. Therefore we performed a prospective survey to: (1) evaluate the prevalence of burnout syndrome among OTS residents in France, (2) and to look for factors associated with a higher or lower risk of burnout syndrome in the survey respondents.

Burnout syndrome is at least as prevalent among OTS residents in France as among residents in other medical and surgical specialities.

A nationwide prospective survey was conducted in France between February and April 2017 via a digital questionnaire sent by email. Burnout syndrome was evaluated using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and symptoms of depression using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Demographic data and information on relationships with partners and working modalities were collected.

Of 480 OTS residents, 107 (22%) completed the questionnaire. Mean age was 27 years and 65% (n=70) were male. High EE was reported by 26% (n=28), high DP by 63% (n=68), and low PA by 33% (n=36) of respondents. The scores on two or all three of the MBI sub-scales were abnormal, indicating severe burnout syndrome, in 40% (n=43) of respondents. The GHQ-12 scores indicated symptoms of depression in 40% (n=43) of respondents. Furthermore, 61% (n=66) of respondents stated that they would not recommend OTS or any other area of medicine to their children as a career and 10% (n=11) reported suicidal ideation during the past year. The statistical analysis identified three risk factors for burnout syndrome: medical errors (odds ratio [OR], 8.8; 95% confidence interval [95%CI], 1.7–58.7; p=0.0121), symptoms of depression (OR, 19.3; 95%CI, 2.9–196.0; p=0.0048), and living single (OR, 4.7; 95%CI, 1.4–18.9; p=0.0173).

Despite the 22% response rate, this study provides useful information on the prevalence of burnout syndrome among OTS residents in France, with severe burnout in 40% and suicidal ideation in 10%. These prevalences may be overestimations, however, as residents who felt under stress may have been more likely to respond to the survey. In published studies, burnout syndrome was associated with higher risks of medical error and suicidal behaviour. These data emphasise the importance of detecting and managing burnout syndrome in healthcare staff.

Prospective descriptive cross-sectional survey with no control group.