Burnout is a common problem for interns and residents. It may be related to medical error, but little is known about this relationship. The purpose of this study was to determine the association between burnout and perceived medical errors among interns and residents.
The study group consisted of interns and residents working in a university hospital in Busan. Data were provided by 86 (58.5%) of 147 interns and residents. They completed a questionnaire including self-assessment of medical errors, a linear analog self-assessment of overall quality of life (QOL), fatigue, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) score, the Maslach Burnout Inventory, and a validated depression screening tool.
According to univariate logistic regression analyses, there was an association between perceived medical errors and fatigue (odds ratio [OR], 1.37 per unit increase; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12 to 1.69; P < 0.003) and ESS scores (OR, 1.13 per unit increase; 95% CI, 1.03 to 1.23; P < 0.009). Perceived medical errors were also associated with burnout (ORs per 1-unit change; emotional exhaustion OR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.13; P < 0.005; depersonalization OR, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.21; P < 0.013), a negative depression screen (OR, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.11 to 0.76; P < 0.013), and overall QOL (OR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.70 to 0.98; P < 0.033). In multivariate logistic regression analyses, an association was identified between perceived medical errors and emotional exhaustion (OR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.00 to 1.11; P < 0.046) when adjusted for ESS, and depersonalization (OR, 1.01; 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.19; P < 0.04) when adjusted for fatigue.
Higher levels of burnout among interns and residents were associated with perceived medical errors.
Citations
Physical and mental health of workers is threatened due to various events and chronic occupational stress. This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between occupational stress and gastric disease in male workers of the shipbuilding industry.
Occupational stress measured among a total of 498 workers of a shipbuilding firm who visited the hospital for health examination using the Korean Occupational Stress Scale (KOSS)-short form, and the relationship between sociodemographic factors, health-related behaviors, occupational stress, and gastric disease, and the distribution of occupational stress by sociodemographic factors in the gastric disease group was examined.
There was no significant association between gastric disease and total occupational stress score and its seven sub-factors. The analysis showed that risk of gastric disease was significantly higher in the Q1 group in which the stress caused by occupational discomfort among seven sub-factors was lowest than that in the Q4 group (odds ratio, 2.819; 95% confidence interval, 1.151 to 6.908). Analysis only on the gastric disease group showed that the stress score of laborers was higher in the four sub-factors than that of office workers (P < 0.05). Analysis on educational background showed that the scores of the three sub-factors were lower in subjects who's highest level of education was high school (P < 0.01).
This study suggests that it is necessary to improve the culture of Korean collectivism in the workplace and to manage the occupational stress in the low-educated and laborers. It is recommended for future studies to confirm the causal relationship between occupational stress and gastric disease by large scale studies using a KOSS which appropriately reflects workplace culture.
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