The Bucharest College of Physicians’ Study on Burnout Amongst Healthcare Professionals in Romania’s Capital City

Since its fi rst description in 1980 by Freudenberger, the phenomenon of burnout has been studied intensively by many scholars in the past decades and stakeholders are getting more and more aware of the problematic burnout poses in the professional fi eld, as well as the healthcare threat it poses.
It is well known today that when it comes to the fi eld of healthcare workers, burnout plays a signifi cant role in regards to physicians’ well-being.
The Bucharest College of Physicians wanted to evaluate this phenomenon amongst doctors working in Romania’s capital city and launched a survey addressing its’ members. The study revealed a rather high number of physicians suffering from at least one kind of burnout. The numbers were highest in the fi eld of personal and professional burnout – 55% and 52% of respondents respectively. In regards to burnout caused by the nature of their work (working with patients), a still high number of 36% of respondents showed signs of burnout.
Participants in the study named the increasing number of bureaucratic tasks as one of the major stressors at the job and suggested that by eliminating some bureaucracy, one could improve their level of stress on the job. The results of the study conducted by the Bucharest College of Physicians fall in line with other studies regarding healthcare workers around the globe. The alarmingly high numbers of burnout cases and increased levels of stress should signal stakeholders in the healthcare system to take action in order to improve physicians’ well-being.