The association of sleep quality and burnout among Chinese medical residents under standardized residency training in a tertiary hospital.

Purpose: To investigate the impact of sleep quality and chronotype on job burnout among medical residents under standardized residency training (SRT) in a tertiary hospital in Beijing, China.

Methods: Medical residents in the Department of Internal Medicine of Peking Union Medical College Hospital were assessed by Morning and Evening Questionaire-5 (MEQ-5), Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), and Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS). Factors associated with burnout were analyzed.

Results: A total of 142 respondents returned completed questionnaires. Burnout was present in 85 (60%) residents. Prevalence of high emotional exhaustion, high depersonalization, and low personal accomplishment were 51%, 28%, and 18%, respectively. The global PSQI score of residents was 5.9 ± 2.4, and the self-reported sleep duration was 6.2 ± 0.8 h/day. The MEQ-5 distribution skewed towards morningness, with a median score of 14.5 [13.0, 16.3]. Poor daytime function significantly predicted emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. Chronotypes were not associated with any of the burnout components.

Conclusion: Sleep-related daytime dysfunction was strongly related to burnout. Strategies protecting the sleep of residents should be incorporated into the SRT programs for both efficiency and sustainability considerations.