住院醫師工作疲勞與個人性格及因應型態的關連

Objectives: During the residency training years, compared to other periods of professional development, physicians must adjust to tougher workloads, higher professional self-expectations, and increased demands from patients, The objective of this study is to explore how the development of burnout among resident physicians is related to their personal characteristics or coping styles. Knowing how burnout develops in relation to these two factors may provide healthcare educators and physicians with an important approach to preventing physician burnout. This study proposes that physicians with lower occurrence of burnout may possess more positive personal characteristics, such as extroversion, conscientiousness, and agreeability which may then increase their ability to develop more active adaptation skills and coping styles. Methods: A total of 554 resident physicians, (67.7% male and 32.3% female), were enrolled in this study. All of them completed three measures: Copenhagen Burnout Inventory, Coping Strategies Inventory, and Five-factor Inventory. They were then divided into three groups according to the scores obtained from these indices: high, moderate, and low burnout. Analysis of variance and Scheffé tests were used to assess the relationship between burnout, personal characteristics, and coping styles. Results: 1. Compared with the high burnout group, the residents in the low burnout group exhibited less neuroticism, more extroversion, more conscientiousness and more agreeability. There was no significant difference in the dimension of openness amongst the three groups. 2. The low burnout group tended to use engagement coping styles more so than the moderate or high burnout groups. The high burnout group tended to use disengagement coping styles. Discussion: The presence of positive or negative personal characteristics of those in the low, moderate, and high burnout groups correlates with the occurrence of physician burnout. The low burnout residents exhibited more positive characteristics and active coping styles than those in the other groups. If physicians are made aware of potentially detrimental personal characteristics, and adjust their behavior and coping styles accordingly, they may better meet the various challenges in their medical career. We therefore conclude that certain personal characteristics and coping styles may protect physicians from burnout. Further study is suggested to explore these protective factors and how best to employ them.