Evaluation of Burnout Level of Emergency Service Physicians in Hatay Province after the Türkiye Kahramanmaraş Earthquake

Introduction and objective: Natural disasters, with their devastating effects, are an important stress factor in people’s lives. This situation emerges as a significant factor in the development of burnout syndrome. More than 400 physicians die every year due to depression and burnout. Our aim was to examine the burnout status of emergency physicians who are on the front line in all kinds of important events such as those following a devastating event like an earthquake. and the factors affecting it. Materials and methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate the levels of burnout among emergency physicians working in Hatay, Türkiye, before and after the earthquake centered in Kahramanmaraş on February 6, 2023. Data were collected electronically nine months after the earthquake (November 15–30, 2023). The survey consisted of two sections: 30 questions assessing participants’ demographic characteristics and the problems they encountered during and after the earthquake, and a 22-item scale based on the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). The questionnaire included both open-ended and multiple-choice items. Informed consent was obtained from all participants, and the data were recorded in digital format and analyzed using descriptive statistical methods. No comparison was made with physicians who had not experienced a disaster. No statistical correction was applied for group-based hypothesis testing or multiple comparisons. Results: A total of 182 physicians participated in the study, with a rate of female participants of 47.3% (n=86). According to the study’s results, the mean Maslach scale was 49.4 (13). In the study, participants aged 40 years and older were found to have significantly lower levels of burnout compared to younger age groups (p<0.001). It was also observed that burnout levels decreased with increasing years of professional experience. These two findings are considered to be interrelated. Additionally, female participants were found to have significantly higher levels of burnout compared to their male counterparts (p=0.007).Participants who experienced difficulties such as lack of food (p=0.0005) and housing difficulties (p=0.032) while working after the earthquake, those who felt their efforts were not adequately recognized (p=0.016), and those who were dissatisfied with working in the emergency department were found to have significantly higher levels of burnout (p<0.001). Conclusion: As demonstrated in our study, increased professional experience appeared to serve as a protective factor against burnout syndrome. However, higher levels of burnout were observed when additional stressors, such as those arising from natural disasters like earthquakes, were present. Moreover, factors influencing job satisfaction, as well as those related to the fulfillment of individuals’ basic physiological needs, were found to impact burnout levels significantly.