[Burnout syndrome among family physicians]

burnout syndrome is a state of physical and emotional exhaustion that can occur among workers who interact directly with others. This could affect job performance. The objective was to determine the prevalence of this syndrome and its associated factors among family physicians.

a cross-sectional survey applying the Maslach Burnout Inventory was conducted in a selected convenience non-probability sampling of family physicians. Central tendency and dispersion measures were used in determining the prevalence of burnout syndrome; the associated factors were analysed by χ(2) test.

there were 59 cases of burnout syndrome, 36 had involvement in a single component, 15 in 2 and 8 were affected in 3 components; we observed that 35 % of positive cases reported doing an average of 10 extra shifts a month (p = 0.013). Having a second job was associated with positive cases of burnout syndrome.

the results are consistent with similar studies. Working extra shifts or having a second job were the related factors most associated to this syndrome.