Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31640650›Full record

SynthesisBMC public health2019

Burnout among healthcare providers in the complex environment of the Middle East: a systematic review.

Z Chemali, F L Ezzeddine, B Gelaye, M L Dossett, J Salameh, M Bizri, B Dubale, G Fricchione

Open access · goldAbstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC public health, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 113 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
113citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
39.3field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

113 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 235 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  3. Determinants of Burnout among Teachers: A Systematic Review of Longitudinal Studies.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022
    Pooled it
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  8. Understanding Work-Related Burnout and Its Determinants Among Healthcare Professionals in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2026
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  16. Prevalence of burnout syndrome in the Portuguese Army.Military psychology : the official journal of the Division of Military Psychology, American Psychological Association · 2026
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53 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.

Z ChemaliDepartments of Neurology and Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA. zelchemali@mgh.harvard.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8450-2459
F L EzzeddineDepartment of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
B GelayeDepartment of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
M L DossettBenson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine and, Division of General Internal Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
J SalamehDepartment of Neurology, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon.
M BizriDepartment of Psychiatry, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon.
B DubaleDepartment of Psychiatry, Addis Ababa University, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
G FricchioneDepartment of Psychiatry, Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
Harvard University · USAmerican University of Beirut Medical Center · LBAddis Ababa University · ET

Funding

Improving Health Outcomes Through Enhanced Patient-Provider RelationshipsK23AT009218 · NCCIH · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS · PI DOSSETT, MICHELLE L · 2016 to 2020
$801k
NCCIH NIH HHS K23 AT009218NCCIH NIH HHS K23AT009218
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundBurnout is a syndrome characterized by emotional exhaustion, increased depersonalization, and a diminished sense of personal accomplishment due to chronic emotional stress at work. Burnout impacts job satisfaction, job performance, vulnerability to illnesses, and interpersonal relationships. There is a gap in the systematic data on the burden of burnout among healthcare professionals from different sectors of healthcare in Middle Eastern countries. Our objective was to examine the burden of burnout among healthcare providers in the Middle East, how it was assessed, which sectors were included, and what interventions have been used.

methodsArticles were found through a systematic review of search results including PubMed, Web of Science (Thomson Reuters), and PsycINFO (EBSCO) using search terms reflecting burnout in Middle Eastern countries among populations of healthcare providers. Studies were included if they examined a quantitative measure of burnout among healthcare providers in the Middle East.

resultsThere were 138 articles that met our inclusion criteria for this systematic review. Studies focused on burnout in the Middle East among physicians (N = 54 articles), nurses (N = 55), combined populations of healthcare workers (N = 22), and medical students (N = 7). The Maslach Burnout Inventory was the most common tool to measure burnout. Burnout is common among physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals, with prevalence estimates predominantly ranging between 40 and 60%. Burnout among healthcare providers in the Middle East is associated with characteristics of their work environments, exposure to violence and terror, and emotional distress and low social support.

conclusionsBurnout is highly prevalent among healthcare providers across countries in the Middle East. Previous studies examining burnout in this region have limitations in their methodology. More thoroughly developed epidemiologic studies of burnout are necessary. Health system strengthening is needed in a region that has endured years of ongoing conflict, and there is an urgency to design and implement programs that tackle burnout among health professionals.

Indexed as

Burnout, ProfessionalHealth PersonnelHumansMiddle EastPrevalenceBurnoutHealth personnelMiddle East

Identifiers

PMID31640650
PMCPMC6805482
OpenAlexW2981650915

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.