Burnout among radiology residents: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective To analyze the prevalence of burnout among radiology residents. Method Five databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, PsycINFO, and Scopus) were searched for studies reporting burnout in radiology residents for the period up to November 7, 2022. Results A total of 423 studies were identified, and eventually, 16 studies were selected for the qualitative analysis, of which 11 studies were used in the meta-analysis. There was a total of 2164 radiology residents. Six studies reported the prevalence of burnout but the data could not be pooled due to their inconsistent definitions of burnout. The mean scores of three burnout subscales indicated a moderate to high degree of severity: emotional exhaustion = 25.2 (95% CI, 22.1–28.3; I 2 = 94.4%), depersonalization = 10.2 (95% CI, 8.5–11.9; I 2 = 93.0%), and low perception of personal accomplishment = 32.9 (95% CI, 30.5–35.4; I 2 = 94.4%). The pooled prevalence of high-degree emotional exhaustion was 49.9% (95% CI, 43.6–56.1%; I 2 = 55.7%), high-degree depersonalization was 45.1% (95% CI, 38.3–52.0%; I 2 = 63.2%), and high-degree diminished personal accomplishment was 58.2% (95% CI, 36.0–77.6%; I 2 = 84.9%). The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on radiology residents was not investigated. In addition, there are inconsistent findings on the effects of female sex, seniority, and social support on burnout. Conclusions About half of the radiology residents showed at least one of the three burnout manifestations (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment), with a moderate to high degree of severity. Clinical relevance statement Such a high prevalence and severity of burnout among radiology residents warrant the attention of residency program directors. Key Points • Burnout, not uncommon among radiology residents, has not been effectively analyzed. • Nearly half of the radiology residents experience at least one of the three manifestations of burnout to a moderate to high degree. • The high prevalence and severe degree of burnout among radiology residents warrant the attention of residency program directors.