Level of professional burnout among family physicians in the Republic of Moldova and certain aspects regarding its contributing factors

Abstract

Family medicine represents a key component of the healthcare system, a specialty characterized by fragmented work, high demands from patients/families/communities, and often conflicting interactions, all of which are conditions that predict stress and the onset of burnout. The aim of this studywas to assess the degree to which family physicians in the Republic of Moldova are affected by professional burnout, as well as to identify its determining factors. The research was conducted as a descriptive cross-sectional study from November 2023 to February 2024, on a sample of 352 family doctors. Rezults Conclusions Keywords The results show that 100% of family physicians were affected by professional burnout. The most prominent dimension of the burnout syndrome was psycho-emotional exhaustion, with a high level identified in 45.5% of respondents. Family physicians in the younger age group (36-45 years) were more affected by burnout. Family physicians working in urban areas were more affected than those in rural areas. According to the respondents, professional factors were the main contributors to the development of burnout syndrome. The professional burnout syndrome was identified in all family physicians involved in the study, with the dimension of psycho-emotional exhaustion being the factor with the greatest impact.

Medicina de familie reprezintă o verigă esenţială a sistemului de sänätate, specialitate ce presupune muncă fragmentată, solicitare majoră de la pacienţi/familie/comunitate, interacţiuni adesea conflictuale, condiții ce prezic stresul şi apariția burnout-ului. Scopul cercetării a fost de a evalua gradul de afectare prin sindromul de ardere profesională a medicilor de familie din Republica Moldova, precum şi factorii determinanţi ai acestuia. Cercetarea a fost realizată având la bază un studiu de tip selectiv descriptiv, efectuat în perioada noiembrie 2023-februarie 2024, asupra unui eşantion de 352 de medici de familie. Rezultate. Rezultatele arată că sindromul de ardere profesională a afectat medicii de familie în proporţie de 100%. Cea mai exprimată dimensiune a sindromului burnout a fost epuizarea psiho- emoţională, nivel înalt depistat la 45,5% dintre respondenţi. Mai afectați de burnout au fost medicii de familie de vârstă tânäră între 36-45 de ani. Medicii de familie din mediul urban sunt mai afectaţi decât cei din mediul rural. în viziunea respondenţilor, factorii profesionali sunt principalii care au condus la instalarea sindromului de ardere profesională. Concluzii. Sindromul arderii profesionale a fost depistat la toţi medicii de familie implicați în cercetare, dimensiunea epuizare psiho-emoționalä fiind factorul cu cel mai mare impact.