Prevalence of burnout syndrome among students of health care colleges and its correlation to musculoskeletal disorders in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: Burnout is a chronic stress-related syndrome with the three dimensions of exhaustion, cynicism, and inefficacy. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are defined as a musculoskeletal strain reported by an individual. Burnout is prevalent among Saudi medical students. Many studies have found that burnout is associated with a higher prevalence of MSDs. To the best of our knowledge, there is no study that has assessed the prevalence of burnout among students of health care colleges in Saudi Arabia and its correlation to MSDs and compared the results of each health care college to the other. Hence, this is the aim of this study. Methods: A cross-sectional study of 392 students of health care colleges in Taif University was carried out from April 2019 to May 2019, using a predesigned questionnaire, including sociodemographic characteristics, the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) Questionnaire to assess the degree of burnout, and Standardized Nordic Questionnaires for the analysis of musculoskeletal symptoms. Results: 48.7% of the students of health care colleges had burnout and 64.8% of them had MSDs. We did not detect a statistically significant association between burnout prevalence and sociodemographic characteristics. There was a significant association between burnout and the MSDs, as 34.2% of the students with a high degree of burnout had MSDs. Conclusions: Burnout, as well as MSDs, are prevalent among students of health care colleges. Burnout seems to be a risk factor for MSDs. Social media campaigns and awareness campaigns about burnout should be promoted.