Relationships between burnout and coping strategies among assistant medical officers in Malaysian public healthcare facilities

Assistant Medical Officers (AMOs) in Malaysia, similar to physician assistants elsewhere, are predisposed to burnout due to stressors as healthcare frontliners. This study determined the prevalence, risk factors, and coping strategies of burnout among AMOs in Malaysia. A nationwide cross-sectional study was conducted between August and November 2019, involving 2,033 AMOs from 32 public hospitals and 28 district health offices recruited via multi-stage stratified sampling. Burnout was assessed using MBI-HSS (MP) while coping strategies were evaluated using Brief COPE. Complex sampling analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Version 26. Among 1,839 respondents, one-third (n = 584, 30.3%) experienced burnout. AMOs who were younger [AOR = 4.69 (95% CI: 1.14, 19.22)], having comorbidities [AOR = 2.46 (95% CI: 1.09, 5.51)], and with higher education [AOR = 2.65 (95% CI: 1.26, 5.55)] were associated with higher risks of burnout. Conversely, hospital AMOs had 27% lower odds of experiencing burnout than clinic AMOs [AOR = 0.73 (95% CI: 0.55, 0.98)]. Problem-focused coping strategies were protective against two burnout domains: high depersonalisation [r (1839) = 0.10, p < 0.001] and low personal accomplishment [ r (1839) = 0.30, p < 0.001]. In contrast, the use of emotion-focused and dysfunctional coping strategies was detrimental in view of their significant correlations with burnout and its domains. Regular burnout surveillance is crucial for identifying at-risk AMOs and providing timely support to mitigate burnout and promote well-being. By implementing proactive organisational initiatives, AMOs can be empowered with the knowledge of diverse coping mechanisms and application of effective coping strategies, thereby preventing burnout. Institutional-level stakeholders' support is crucial to complement individual empowerment in cultivating resilient healthcare workforces.