Burnout in anesthesiology and intensive care : is there a problem in Germany?

• Published in: Der Anaesthesist 2011-12, Vol.60 (12), p.1109
• Main Authors: Heinke, W, Dunkel, P, Brähler, E, Nübling, M, Riedel-Heller, S, Kaisers, U X
• Format: Article
• Language: ger
• Subjects: Adult; Age Factors; Anesthesiology - manpower; Burnout, Professional - epidemiology; Critical Care - manpower; Data Interpretation, Statistical; Female; Germany - epidemiology; Hospitals - classification; Humans; Job Satisfaction; Male; Middle Aged; Personnel, Hospital; Physicians; Risk; Sex Factors; Socioeconomic Factors; Surveys and Questionnaires; Workload - psychology
• ISSN: 1432-055X
• DOI: 10.1007/s00101-011-1947-3

With the demands faced by anesthetists and intensive care physicians apparently increasing continuously in Germany, the increased risk of burnout in comparison with the general working population is discussed. This debate has previously been merely speculative because of the lack of studies comparing the burn-out risk of the German working population with anesthetists. Accordingly it was not certain whether anesthetists really are at greater risk of developing burnout as has often been suggested. Moreover, age, gender, function, workplace environment, e.g. working at a hospital compared to a general practitioner (GP) surgery, may influence the risk of burnout. Therefore, this study examined whether the risk for anesthetists in Germany suffering from burnout really is greater than in other occupations. In addition, factors influencing the burnout risks of anesthetists were analyzed. A total of 3,541 questionnaires completed by German aaesthetists for a study on work satisfaction by the CBI (Copenhagen Burnout Inventory, part of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire, COPSOQ) were analyzed. Apart from calculating the number of participants with a high risk of developing burnout syndrome, the data were used to calculate a generalized burnout score for all participants. The score was compared with data from both a random sample representing a wide variety of occupations from among the general population in Germany (n = 4,709) and a random sample of German hospital doctors (n = 616). In addition, subgroups were formed by gender, function (senior consultant, senior physician, specialist, junior doctor) and type and place of work (university hospital, public hospital, private clinic, GP surgery, freelance work) and the proportion of each group with a high risk of burnout syndrome was calculated. In addition, general burnout scores were compared statistically for differences among the various groups. The proportion of study participants with a high risk of burnout was 40.1%. Differences were found to exist between genders (male 37.2% versus female 46%), qualifications (senior consultant 28.9%, senior physician 38%, specialist 41.5%, junior doctor 46.7%) and working in a hospital (41.3%) compared to a GP surgery (33.2%). The random sample of hospital doctors (n = 616) showed a burnout score of 49 ± 19 (mean ± standard deviation), compared to 44 ± 19 for a random sample of the German population (n = 4,709) and 42 ± 19 for anesthetists (p