Keywords: General Practitioners, Burnout professional, Workload

Introduction:

Burnout Syndrome not only affects the professional's health but may also alter their work patterns. The objective of this study is to analyze whether there are quantifiable differences in the daily registration of clinical activity between family physicians presenting criteria for Severe Burnout (SB) and the rest of the sentinel professionals.

Method:

A multicenter observational study was conducted on 57 sentinel family physicians in may 2025 in Catalonia. Professionals were classified using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), identifying a subgroup with Sever Burnout (high Exhaustion, high Depersonalization, low Personal Accomplishment simultaneously). Their real-world activity was monitored through daily records of visits, consultations, and motives. Variables regarding volume, perceived complexity (lack of time), visit typology, and accumulated fatigue were compared.

Results:

Sample: 57 family physicians (73.7% women, 26.3% men; mean age 48.2 years). Severe Burnout (SB) subgroup: n=8. Remainder of the cohort (No SB): n=49. Care pressure (visits/period): 154.4 visits (SB) vs. 143.8 visits (No SB) (p=0.38). Demand adequacy: 80.4% of adequate visits in the SB group vs. 78.3% in the No SB group (p=0.12). Perception of lack of time: 44.5% of visits in the SB group vs. 26.1% in the rest (p<0.001). Clinical relevance: 18.1% of visits considered irrelevant in the SB group vs. 16.8% in the rest (p<0.001). Accumulated daily delay: 29.2 min (SB) vs. 23.3 min (No SB) (p=0.18). Perceived final fatigue (0-10 scale): 8.8 (SB) vs. 6.1 (No SB) (p<0.001). Patient clinical complexity (GMA): 2.49 (SB) vs. 2.44 (No SB) (p=0.17). Clinical resolution: 45.1% (SB) vs. 44.4% (Rest) (p=0.91).

Conclusions:

Severe burnout in family physicians is characterized by extreme fatigue and perceived time suffocation, independent of clinical complexity or visit volume. The syndrome results from depleted professional resources to manage demand within assigned timeframes, rather than patient-related factors. Further studies are needed to draw more consistent conclusions.