Yasser Maher Al-Jehani, Aldanah Mohammed Althwanay, Hessah Mohammed Buainain, Abdulaziz Khalid Abuhaimed, Abdulaziz Mubarak Almulhim, Fatima Adel Abusrir, Fatimah Lateef Alkhabbaz, Salam Sami Almustafa, Moataza Mahmoud Abdel Wahab
BACKGROUND: Medical students are prone to burnout, and several stressors have been associated with it. From the literature, it is yet unclear if type of curricula in medical schools plays a role in burnout among students.
AIMS: To assess the prevalence of burnout and its associated stressors in medical students in problem-based learning and traditional curricula at Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University.
SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The analytical, cross-sectional study was conducted between February and May 2017 and included all third- to sixth-year medical students of Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia. In the 2016-2017 academic year, third- and fourth-year students were in problem-based learning, whereas fifth- and sixth-year students were in traditional learning. All eligible students were verbally invited to complete a 56-item questionnaire comprising three sections eliciting sociodemographic information, level of burnout (using a modified Copenhagen burnout Inventory with personal, medical school- and faculty-related subsections) and stressors associated with burnout. burnout was measured using a Likert-type scale, and scores of >50 were considered as high burnout. Chi-square and logistic regression analysis were used for statistical analysis.
RESULTS: Of 947 eligible students, 593 (62.6%) completed the questionnaire: 317 (53.5%) were in problem-based learning and 276 (46.5%) in traditional learning. Of these, 329 (55.5%) had high burnout, with no difference between type of curricula (problem-based learning = 178 [56.2%]; traditional = 151 [54.7%]; = 0.73). All measured stressors were significantly associated with high burnout, including lack of sleep (odds ratio [OR] = 2.139, = 0.005) and perceiving teaching staff as inflexible and unsupportive (OR = 2.995, < 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: This study found high prevalence of burnout among medical students in a university from Saudi Arabia, but no significant difference between students in problem-based learning and traditional curricula. A longitudinal study is recommended to better understand the long-term effect of type of curricula on burnout.
