ArticleBMJ open2019
Burnout, well-being and defensive medical practice among obstetricians and gynaecologists in the UK: cross-sectional survey study.
Article in BMJ open, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06724770 (Diseño de Una intervención Para Dotar a Mandos Intermedios y Directivos de Instituciones Sanitarias Con Herramientas Para Incrementar la Resiliencia de Sus Equipos), which is not on this map. Cited by 42 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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.
Diseño de Una intervención Para Dotar a Mandos Intermedios y Directivos de Instituciones Sanitarias Con Herramientas Para Incrementar la Resiliencia de Sus Equipos
Who cites it
42 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 76 citations in OpenAlex.
- Occupational burnout among obstetrics and gynaecology residents: a systematic review.Frontiers in public health · 2025Pooled it
- The relationship between physician burnout and depression, anxiety, suicidality and substance abuse: A mixed methods systematic review.Frontiers in public health · 2023Pooled it
- Associations of physician burnout with career engagement and quality of patient care: systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2022Pooled it
- How defensive medicine is defined in European medical literature: a systematic review.BMJ open · 2022Pooled it
- Factors Associated With Burnout and Stress in Trainee Physicians: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.JAMA network open · 2020Pooled it
- Suicide in Healthcare Workers: An Umbrella Review of Prevalence, Causes, and Preventive Strategies.Journal of primary care & community healthPooled it
- When doctors falter: Resilience in modern obstetrics and gynecology, a narrative review.International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics · 2026Review
- Defensive Medicine Attitudes and Associated Factors Among Physicians Working in Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics in Istanbul, Türkiye: Cross-Sectional Analytical Study.JMIR formative research · 2026Article
- Career-stage patterns in burnout and intention to leave the current hospital among obstetric physicians.Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica · 2026Article
- Burnout, PTSD, and Medical Error: The Medico-Legal Implications of the Mental Health Crisis Among Frontline Healthcare Professionals During COVID-19.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026Review
- Work-life realities of doctors in Georgia and their impact on mental health and work-related well-being: A cross-sectional study.PloS one · 2026Article
- Burnout and well-being in obstetricians and gynaecologists in Hong Kong: a territory-wide cross-sectional survey.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Providing Compassionate Care: A Qualitative Study of Compassion Fatigue Among Midwives and Gynecologists.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Burnout, wellbeing and defensive medical practice in obstetricians and gynecologists in the UK before and after the COVID pandemic: A repeated cross-sectional survey study.Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica · 2025Article
- Development of a Web-Based Intervention for Middle Managers to Enhance Resilience at the Individual, Team, and Organizational Levels in Health Care Systems: Multiphase Study.JMIR human factors · 2025Observational
- Enhancing maternity healthcare workers' wellbeing using insider participatory action research.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- The Impact of Intensive Care Unit Nurses' Burnout Levels on Turnover Intention and the Mediating Role of Psychological Resilience.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Defensive medicine practices as a result of malpractice claims and workplace physical violence: a cross-sectional study from Egypt.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Greek medical professionals approaches and understanding of health literacy: a qualitative study.BMC health services research · 2023Article
- Nurse practice environment, perceived organizational support, general well-being, occupational burnout and turnover intention: A moderated multi-mediation model.Nursing open · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 6 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTo determine the prevalence of burnout in doctors practising obstetrics and gynaecology, and assess the association with defensive medical practice and self-reported well-being.
designNationwide online cross-sectional survey study; December 2017-March 2018.
settingHospitals in the UK.
participants5661 practising obstetrics and gynaecology consultants, specialty and associate specialist doctors and trainees registered with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Prevalence of burnout using the Maslach Burnout Inventory and defensive medical practice (avoiding cases or procedures, overprescribing, over-referral) using a 12-item questionnaire. The odds ratios (OR) of burnout with defensive medical practice and self-reported well-being.
results3102/5661 doctors (55%) completed the survey. 3073/3102 (99%) met the inclusion criteria (1462 consultants, 1357 trainees and 254 specialty and associate specialist doctors). 1116/3073 (36%) doctors met the burnout criteria, with levels highest amongst trainees (580/1357 (43%)). 258/1116 (23%) doctors with burnout reported increased defensive practice compared with 142/1957 (7%) without (adjusted OR 4.35, 95% CI 3.46 to 5.49). ORs of burnout with well-being items varied between 1.38 and 6.37, and were highest for anxiety (3.59, 95% CI 3.07 to 4.21), depression (4.05, 95% CI 3.26 to 5.04) and suicidal thoughts (6.37, 95% CI 95% CI 3.95 to 10.7). In multivariable logistic regression, being of younger age, white or 'other' ethnicity, and graduating with a medical degree from the UK or Ireland had the strongest associations with burnout.
conclusionsHigh levels of burnout were observed in obstetricians and gynaecologists and particularly among trainees. Burnout was associated with both increased defensive medical practice and worse doctor well-being. These findings have implications for the well-being and retention of doctors as well as the quality of patient care, and may help to inform the content of future interventions aimed at preventing burnout and improving patient safety.
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