Psychiatric morbidity and burnout in the medical profession: An Italian study of general practitioners and hospital physicians

Background: Burnout and psychological stress symptoms represent a major problem among health care professionals. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of and the relationship between psychiatric morbidity and burnout among a convenience sample of Italian primary care physicians (GPs) and hospital physicians (HPs). Method: The sample consisted of 328 physicians (182 GPs and 146 HPs) who completed the 12-item version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). Results: The global prevalence of psychiatric morbidity was 22.3% (20.3% among GPs and 24.6% among HPs). Symptoms of emotional exhaustion was reported by 27.5% of participants (GPs: 32.4%, HPs: 21.2%), depersonalization by 25.6% (GPs: 27.4%; HPs: 22.6%) and low personal accomplishment by 12.8% (GPs: 13.1%; HPs: 12.3%). No significant difference was found between the two groups, except higher levels of emotional exhaustion among GPs. Female GPs reported lower scores on MBI-Depersonalization and female HPs lower scores MBI-Personal Accoplishment than male GPs and HPs, respectively. Conclusions: The study underscores the significant problem of stress among physicians and indicates the need for supporting health professionals in order to improve thier psychological well-being and, possibly, the quality of their relationship with the patients