Occupational fatigue and associated factors in anesthesiologists

Abstract

Objective: To describe the persistent factors associated with occupational fatigue or the presence of burnout syndrome in anesthesiologists and anesthesiology residents. Methods: This is an integrative literature review, with searches conducted via the BVS platform, which includes access to the PubMed database. Studies published between January 2021 and April 2025 were considered. The selection of studies followed the guidelines of the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) checklist. The methodological characteristics and main findings of the selected studies were extracted and subjected to a descriptive analysis. Results: The initial search identified 238 articles, of which five met the inclusion criteria. These studies analyzed anesthesiologists or resident physicians and reported levels of occupational fatigue and/or burnout, in addition to associated factors. A total of 6,923 participants were evaluated, 40.0% of whom were female and 60.0% male, with a mean age of 45.1 years. Twenty-seven risk factors were identified, the most frequent being excessive workload (25.9%) and inadequate working conditions (14.8%). Final considerations: Three factors stood out as persistent: excessive workload, working environment conditions, and care for patients with an ASA III classification or higher.