BURNOUT AMONG EMERGENCY PHYSICIANS IN SAUDI ARABIA: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS

Background: The department of emergency medicine is well-known for its mental and physical difficulties. Previous research has shown that emergency medicine physicians experience higher levels of burnout than the general population, which has detrimental consequences for both patients and physicians. Aim: This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to estimate the current burden of burnout syndrome among emergency physicians in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This study followed the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020. Systematic search was conducted on 6 databases using keywords relevant to burnout syndrome among emergency professionals in Saudi Arabia. We used Rayyan-Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI) [18] for importing and managing search results, as well as for detection and removal of duplicates. Quantitative data synthesis was done using Review Manager 5.4. Random effects model was applied. Higgin’s I2 test has been used in order to detect heterogeneity. Results: A total of 7 studies including a total population of 671 EMS professional have been enrolled for the pooled estimation of the prevalence of high emotional exhaustion (51% (95% CI: 33%-69%)), high depersonalization (37% (95% CI: 24%-50%)), low personal accomplishments (31% (95% CI: 25%-37%)), and overall burnout syndrome prevalence (28% (95% CI: -45%-101%)). Significant heterogeneity was evident in all pooled estimates except for low PA and prevalence of overall burnout. Conclusion: This meta-analysis demonstrates high rates of high EE, high DP, and low PA among emergency physicians in Saudi Arabia. Evident from literature, our study suggests that EM physicians are more prone to burnout in comparison to physicians in other departments and other medical staffs