Occupational burnout among public medical officers during the early stage of COVID-19 pandemic in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Burnout syndrome has affected many doctors globally, and this problem has caused various negative impacts on public health services such as reduced productivity and reduced quality care of patients. Various factors were associated with burnout among doctors, but the factors vary in different countries. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and associated risk factors of burnout among public service medical officers in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, who were involved in combating the Covid-19 outbreaks. A cross-sectional study involving 201 medical officers working in all government hospitals and health clinics was carried out. Using the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI), the prevalence of personal-related and work-related burnout were 61.2% and 48.8% respectively, while the prevalence of client-related burnout was 39.8%. Working in different medical departments and the length of working experience were the significant associated risk factors of burnout among the doctors. Meanwhile, other predictors were found not to be significantly associated with the prevalence of burnout. The prevalence of burnout among medical officers in Kota Kinabalu was relatively high especially among the less experienced doctors and among those who work in surgical based departments, and these issues require multilevel interventions which involve policymakers in the Ministry of Health, organizational and administrative managers at the various health departments and the medical officers themselve