Burnout in European Medical Students: A Systematic Review of Quantitative Evidence

Rubio Joyce, Melanie and Wong, Wai Yee Amy (2026) Burnout in European Medical Students: A Systematic Review of Quantitative Evidence. The Journal of Medical Education Research, 5 (1).

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Abstract

Background: The high prevalence of burnout in medical students has been associated with an increasing likelihood of dropping out of medical school. Consequences include lower financing and quality indices for the university, personal and psychological consequences such as a sense of inadequacy and self-doubt, and a misallocation of resources and money. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a better understanding of the key factors associated with medical student burnout to inform the implementation of prevention and early intervention strategies. Differences in cultural, socioeconomic, and medical education settings could have a significant influence on the factors contributing to the burnout of medical students. The focus of this systematic review is to explore the context-specific key factors associated with burnout syndrome in undergraduate students studying at European medical schools and the recommendations for interventions. Methods: A systematic review was conducted using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) manual for systematic reviews and was reported following the PRISMA guidelines. CINAHL Ultimate, PubMed and Scopus were searched for studies published in English in the last six years (2018–2024). The JBI critical appraisal checklist for analytical cross-sectional studies guided the screening, data extraction and quality appraisal processes. Results: 20 studies of 615 articles met the inclusion criteria. Through textual narrative synthesis, five themes were identified as factors associated with burnout of undergraduate students at European medical schools: gender, academic performance, the learning environment, health, and support. Conclusion: The findings largely affirm previous research on factors associated with burnout in medical students. Four strategies are suggested to decrease burnout rates in European medical students: remove sex-specific biases regarding burnout; improve students’ self-efficacy; increase the quality and access to extracurricular activities; and increase the quality and access to wellbeing and mindfulness workshops.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	burnout,psychology,mental health,medical students,medical education
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Norwich Medical School
Depositing User:	LivePure Connector
Date Deposited:	15 Jun 2026 15:17
Last Modified:	15 Jun 2026 15:17
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/103399
DOI:	10.5750/jmer.v5i1.2650

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