Generation Y medical doctors' experiences of a positive psychology 2.0 intervention for burnout in a South African public hospital

Rudolf M Oosthuizen; Keitumetse Disemelo; Claude-Hélène Mayer

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.861872

Generation Y medical doctors' experiences of a positive psychology 2.0 intervention for burnout in a South African public hospital

Front Psychol. 2022 Oct 12:13:861872. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.861872. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Rudolf M Oosthuizen¹, Keitumetse Disemelo¹, Claude-Hélène Mayer²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Industrial and Organisational Psychology, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa.
² Department of Industrial Psychology and People Management, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Abstract

The aim of the research was to explore experiences of a Positive Psychology 2.0 (PP2.0) intervention for burnout among Generation Y medical doctors working in a South African public hospital. The emphasis was on the potential benefits and recommended intervention amendments in a specific cultural context of South Africa. A phenomenological approach was followed in the collective case study. The Maslach Burnout Inventory was administered in phases I and III to quantify the level of burnout. This study offers findings that could be incorporated into a bigger burnout intervention strategy in the South African public hospital, involving all stakeholders to ensure that burnout is combatted on a long-term basis. Furthermore, the findings emphasized certain culture-specific structural issues and the impact that the neglection of burnout has on newly qualified medical doctors working in a South African public hospital and patients in their care. Certain recommendations were made for the South African public hospital for future research in PP2.0 interventions and for facilitators working with burnout among newly qualified medical doctors.

Keywords: Generation Y; South African public health sector; burnout; culture-specific research; medical doctors; positive psychology 2.0 intervention.