Kim Tae Gon
Department of Neurosurgery, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University School of Medicine, Seongnam, Korea.
J Korean Neurosurg Soc. 2021 Jul;64(4):644-664. doi: 10.3340/jkns.2020.0233. Epub 2021 Jun 29.
Since the enactment of the Special Act on Korean Medical Residents, neurosurgeons working at training hospitals have been performing the duties of residents, in addition to their existing patient care responsibilities, which include surgery, education, and research. This study explores the relationships between work intensity, work-life balance, and burnout experienced by Korean neurosurgeons.
The participants (n=451) were neurosurgeons working at training hospitals throughout Republic of Korea. Data on socio-demographic characteristics (including objective and subjective work environment), work intensity, work-life balance, and burnout were gathered using self-report questionnaires completed between March 1 and December 20, 2019. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson's correlations, and multiple regression analysis. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 25 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) was used for the analyses.
The work intensity, work-life balance, and burnout levels of neurosurgeons were 3.95, 3.57 (on a scale from 1 to 5) and 4.60 (on a scale from 1 to 7); and 280 (62.1%) of 451 neurosurgeons were found to be experiencing burnout. By controlling for the socio-demographic characteristics, the effects of work intensity and work-life balance on burnout were analyzed. Work intensity (B=0.314), work-life balance-family and leisure (B=0.216), work-life balance-growth (B=0.147), job stress (B=0.133), and satisfaction with human relationships (B=-0.069) were shown to be significant (all p<0.05), and they were found to affect burnout in the abovementioned order. The overall explanatory power was 58.3% (p<0.05), and the explanatory power with the addition of independent variables such as work intensity and work-life balance was 14.5% (p<0.05).
This study showed that Korean neurosurgeons working at training hospitals experienced a high level of work intensity and job stress, and low work-life balance. Additionally, nearly half of the neurosurgeons were found to experience burnout related to factors such as work intensity, work-life balance, job stress, and satisfaction with human relationships. In particular, these factors seem to have deteriorated further after the implementation of the Special Act on Korean Medical Residents. These very high levels of burnout among Korean neurosurgeons who care for patients with both brain and spinal diseases may have a very important impact on patients' health. Therefore, it is recommended that the Korean Neurosurgical Society and the Korean government make efforts to improve the factors that affect burnout among Korean neurosurgeons.
自《韩国住院医师特别法》颁布以来，在教学医院工作的神经外科医生除了承担现有的患者护理职责（包括手术、教育和研究）外，还履行住院医师的职责。本研究探讨了韩国神经外科医生的工作强度、工作与生活平衡以及职业倦怠之间的关系。
参与者（n = 451）为韩国各地教学医院的神经外科医生。使用在2019年3月1日至12月20日期间完成的自我报告问卷收集社会人口学特征（包括客观和主观工作环境）、工作强度、工作与生活平衡以及职业倦怠的数据。数据采用描述性统计、独立样本t检验、单因素方差分析、Pearson相关性分析和多元回归分析进行分析。使用IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows 25版（IBM公司，美国纽约州阿蒙克）进行分析。
神经外科医生的工作强度、工作与生活平衡以及职业倦怠水平分别为3.95、3.57（1至5分制）和4.60（1至7分制）；451名神经外科医生中有280名（62.1%）被发现存在职业倦怠。通过控制社会人口学特征，分析了工作强度和工作与生活平衡对职业倦怠的影响。工作强度（B = 0.314）、工作与生活平衡-家庭和休闲（B = 0.216）、工作与生活平衡-成长（B = 0.147）、工作压力（B = 0.133）和人际关系满意度（B = -0.069）显示具有显著性（均p < 0.05），且发现它们按上述顺序影响职业倦怠。总体解释力为58.3%（p < 0.05），加入工作强度和工作与生活平衡等自变量后的解释力为14.5%（p < 0.05）。
本研究表明，在教学医院工作的韩国神经外科医生工作强度高、工作压力大，工作与生活平衡度低。此外，近一半的神经外科医生被发现存在与工作强度、工作与生活平衡、工作压力和人际关系满意度等因素相关的职业倦怠。特别是，这些因素在《韩国住院医师特别法》实施后似乎进一步恶化。这些护理脑部和脊髓疾病患者的韩国神经外科医生中极高的职业倦怠水平可能对患者健康产生非常重要的影响。因此，建议韩国神经外科学会和韩国政府努力改善影响韩国神经外科医生职业倦怠的因素。
