Empathy and burnout: A multicentre comparative study between residents and specialists

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Psychology
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Physician burnout negatively impacts patient outcomes and therapeutic success.
• Empathy is crucial for effective doctor-patient relationships.
• Understanding differences in burnout and empathy between residents and specialists is vital.

Purpose of the Study:

• Compare empathy and burnout levels between medical residents and specialists.
• Investigate the correlation between burnout and empathy in physicians.
• Identify factors influencing physician well-being and therapeutic effectiveness.

Main Methods:

• Exploratory study involving 104 physicians in the Greater Lisbon area, Portugal.
• Utilized the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE) questionnaires.
• Convenience sampling across central hospitals, district hospitals, and health centers.

Main Results:

• Residents (53%) reported significantly lower empathy scores (mean 116.4) compared to specialists (49%, mean 120.78) (p=.048).
• Residents exhibited higher mean scores across all Maslach Burnout Inventory subscales: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and lack of personal accomplishment.
• Empathy scores showed a significant inverse correlation with depersonalization (r=-0.390) and lack of personal accomplishment (r=-0.447).

Conclusions:

• Significant differences in burnout and empathy exist between residents and specialists.
• Higher burnout levels are associated with lower empathy among physicians.
• Highlights the critical need for structured individual and organizational measures to prevent burnout, especially in resident physicians.