E-ISSN 2218-6050 | ISSN 2226-4485
 

Research Article 


Prevalence of burnout in veterinary medicine: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Jesús Barrado, Amparo Osca.


Abstract
Background:
Burnout, a consequence of chronic work-related stress, is particularly prevalent among veterinarians due to unique occupational challenges. This study investigates the prevalence of burnout within this profession.

Aim:
The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of burnout syndrome among veterinary professionals and to examine work-related stress dimensions as potential antecedents.

Methods:
We conducted a systematic literature review using Eight electronic databases. The snowballing technique was applied by reviewing articles citing the included studies. A specific search for gray literature was carried out using the OpenGrey database. The quality of the included studies was assessed. A synthesis was performed by conducting random-effects meta-analysis to calculate proportions.

Results:
This review included 34 studies with 35,202 participants. The prevalence of burnout was 38.68 %. The most cited dimensions of work-related stress were workload and working hours. Limitations: Veterinarians were not differentiated by sex, age, or employment modality, veterinary medicine is an increasingly female dominated profession and female veterinarians have a higher prevalence of burnout than their male counterparts.

Conclusion:
Considering the high prevalence of burnout in veterinary medicine, proactive measures should focus on preventing burnout. Furthermore, structural and organizational changes should be considered.

Key words: Burnout; Meta-analysis; Prevalence; Stress dimensions; Systematic review.


 
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How to Cite this Article
Pubmed Style

Barrado J, Osca A. Prevalence of burnout in veterinary medicine: A systematic review and meta-analysis. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2026.v16.i7.7


Web Style

Barrado J, Osca A. Prevalence of burnout in veterinary medicine: A systematic review and meta-analysis. https://www.openveterinaryjournal.com/?mno=307611 [Access: June 30, 2026]. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2026.v16.i7.7


AMA (American Medical Association) Style

Barrado J, Osca A. Prevalence of burnout in veterinary medicine: A systematic review and meta-analysis. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2026.v16.i7.7



Vancouver/ICMJE Style

Barrado J, Osca A. Prevalence of burnout in veterinary medicine: A systematic review and meta-analysis. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2026.v16.i7.7



Harvard Style

Barrado, J. & Osca, . A. (2026) Prevalence of burnout in veterinary medicine: A systematic review and meta-analysis. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2026.v16.i7.7



Turabian Style

Barrado, Jesús, and Amparo Osca. 2026. Prevalence of burnout in veterinary medicine: A systematic review and meta-analysis. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2026.v16.i7.7



Chicago Style

Barrado, Jesús, and Amparo Osca. "Prevalence of burnout in veterinary medicine: A systematic review and meta-analysis." doi:10.5455/OVJ.2026.v16.i7.7



MLA (The Modern Language Association) Style

Barrado, Jesús, and Amparo Osca. "Prevalence of burnout in veterinary medicine: A systematic review and meta-analysis." doi:10.5455/OVJ.2026.v16.i7.7



APA (American Psychological Association) Style

Barrado, J. & Osca, . A. (2026) Prevalence of burnout in veterinary medicine: A systematic review and meta-analysis. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2026.v16.i7.7