Occupational stress and coping strategies among primary health care physicians

Estrés laboral y estrategias de afrontamiento entre los médicos de Atención Primaria

Introduction: residents of medical-surgical specialties are a population at risk of
developing Burnout syndrome, which negatively affects their health and, consequently, triggers alterations in serum cytokine levels that lead to an inflammatory
state. Objective: to assess work stress through the diagnosis of Burnout syndrome
and pro and anti-inflammatory cytokine levels in first year residents of the Universidad del Cauca. Materials and Methods: a prospective longitudinal descriptive
study was carried out in a population of 14 medical residents. It was used selfcompleted surveys to evaluate sociodemographic, clinical and residence variables;
as well as, the Zung test and the Maslach Burnout Inventory to assess the presence
of Burnout syndrome. Additionally, venous blood samples were taken to measure
the production of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines using the ELISA technique,
at the beginning, six months and one year (three samples) at the beginning of
the medical residency. Results: he 100% of the population presented alterations
in any of the dimensions associated with Burnout syndrome, among which predominated was emotional exhaustion. In the end of the follow-up, 14.3% of the
residents presented Burnout and a significant decrease in TNF-α production was
observed. Conclusion: this study evidences the possibility of the appearance of
burnout syndrome in students of medical-surgical specialization due to exposure to chronic stressors associated with academic and emotional conditions. Similarly,
this research demonstrates a disease in the inflammatory state of residents, which
in the long term that could affect health.