Burnout in Mexican medical students: a literature review of the current status

Academic burnout syndrome (ABS) indicates a state of exhaustion, burnout, and disengagement related to the educational environment that impacts university students in various disciplines. In the context of medical students, ABS is of concern due to its high prevalence, resulting from the intensive academic load, high expectations, competitiveness among students, lack of leisure time, and the emotional demands to which they are subjected during their training as future physicians. This condition can adversely impact their academic performance, decision-making, physical and mental well-being, self-esteem, and overall quality of life. Worldwide, between 25% and 50% of medical students experience symptoms of ABS during their education, rates that coincide with those observed in Mexico. However, despite the numerous studies conducted on ABS in medical students in Mexico, some approaches have been underestimated, highlighting the need for more research addressing prevention, awareness, and intervention of this problem. This review proposes to describe the most relevant findings and progress on ABS in medical students in Mexico while identifying areas that require further attention and developing research proposals to enrich the understanding and treatment of this problem at the national level.