Burnout Syndrome among Orthopaedic Surgeons in Lagos, Nigeria

Background: The burnout syndrome has been associated with decreased job performance and low career satisfaction. There are many studies on surgeon burnout and globally but none has been carried out in Nigeria to address the issue of burnout among orthopaedic surgeons. This study aimed at assessing the rate of burnout syndrome among orthopaedic surgeons working in an orthopaedic hospital in Lagos State, Nigeria.
Methods: The study was a questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey. It took place at the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos, Nigeria. All the doctors working at the specialist hospital were invited to complete a questionnaire on their demographic details and the Maslach Burnout Inventory which was used to measure burnout among the participants.
Results: Twenty-nine doctors took part in the study, 28 (96.5%) were males and 1 (3.5%) female, their mean age was 35. 52 years (SD 5.55) with a range of 28- 57 years. Of the total participants, 7 (24.1%) consultant surgeons and 21 (27.5%) were resident doctors. As regards burnout, 4 (13.8%) scored high on the emotional exhaustion subscale, 11 (37.9%) scored high on the depersonalisation subscale while 21 (72%) scored high on the personal achievement subscale. On the overall burnout rate, 15(51.7%) experienced burnout.
Conclusions: The findings of this study showed that orthopaedic surgeons working in Lagos State, Nigeria also experience certain degrees of burnout. There is a need for orthopaedic surgeons to acquire the skills of stress management to prevent burnout and also enhance quality service delivery in their various hospitals.