ABSTRACT
The multi-professional residency is a modality of a lato sensu specialization course characterized by in-service training. The lack of previous professional experience, the extensive workload of the program and the dual role of the student-worker can lead the resident to illness. The aim of this study was to analyze the occurrence of burnout syndrome and depression among residents of a multi-professional program in oncology. This is a prospective longitudinal study with 46 residents of a multi-professional residency program in oncology. Three instruments of information collection were used: one to identify sociodemographic characteristics and absence for health reasons; Maslach Burnout Inventory; and Beck Depression Inventory. The data collection instruments were applied among the same participants of the study, in three instances over a two-year period: at the beginning, at the end of the first and of the second years of residence. The results regarding the sociodemographic characteristics, the intensity of the three dimensions of burnout, the frequency of burnout syndrome and the frequency and intensity of depression were analyzed by descriptive statistics. Fisher's exact test was applied to analyze the correlation between variables related to personal habits and leave of absence for health reasons with the presence of burnout syndrome or depression. The scores of the three aspects of burnout and depression in the three instances studied were compared using the Wilcoxon test. At the end of the study, it was identified that 75.0% of the participants presented burnout syndrome and 72.5% had some level of depression. As for the subscales of burnout, there was an increase in emotional exhaustion and in low personal accomplishment. There was also an increase in the frequency and intensity of depression. There was a positive correlation between leave of absence for health reasons and the presence of burnout and between the occurrence of burnout syndrome and cases of depression. Burnout syndrome was correlated to the occurrence of depression and both problems displayed significant increase throughout the residency program. The findings point to the severity of the problem, considering that both conditions appeared in the first year of the course. Strategies for prevention and control are necessary to minimize the consequences on learning, residents' quality of life and the care provided to cancer patients.
KEY WORDS:
Education Graduate; Burnout; Professional; Depression; Occupational Health; Medical Oncology