Background: Few studies have demonstrated the prevalence of burnout in the specialty of plastic surgery. Therefore, the objective of this systematic literature review and meta-analysis was to analyze the prevalence of burnout among plastic surgeons and residents in plastic surgery.
Methods: The PRISMA statement for systematic reviews was followed, and the most relevant studies, published originally in any language until January 2018, were analyzed. The searches were conducted by 3 researchers in the following databases: the US National Library of Medicine (PubMed), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, and Scientific Electronic Library Online.
Results: The final sample consisted of 6 publications, including 2,670 plastic surgeons and 90 residents in plastic surgery. There was a prevalence of male subjects, with mean ages of 47.2 years for plastic surgeons and 28.4 years for residents. The prevalence rates of burnout were 32.32% among plastic surgeons and 36.66% among residents in plastic surgery, and high emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and low personal accomplishment scores were considerably higher among residents in plastic surgery (37.78%, 35.56%, and 42.22%, respectively) than among plastic surgeons (25.84%, 19.15%, and 7.50%, respectively).
Conclusion: Given the high prevalence and fact that burnout syndrome correlates with the impairment of the professional and personal life of surgeons and residents in plastic surgery, and reduces quality in the care of patients, it is necessary to perform an early assessment and to regulate this phenomenon, with a focus on identifying, diagnosing, and providing appropriate treatment.