RESUMO
Objective To examine the effects of participating in Balint group ( PBG) for reducing occupational burnout among primary care physicians (PCPs). Methods In this randomized controlled trial, 240 PCPs were randomly assigned to PBG (n=70) and control group (n=240) in propotion of 1 ∶ 2. Sub-jects of PBG received Balint group intervention for one year,while control group received natural observation. Maslach Burnout Inventory ( MBI) was used to assess the severity of occupational burnout. Results At baseline all three subscales of MBI had no significant difference between PBG and cotrol group(P>0. 05). After the intervention,PBG had statistically lower subscale scores in emotional exhaustion ((20. 1±8. 3) vs (22. 6±8. 7),t=1. 993,P=0. 048) and depersonalization (( 6. 8± 4. 9) vs ( 10. 8 ± 5. 2),t=5. 355,P<0. 001) than the control group, while had statistically higher score in personal accomplishment subscale ((38. 3±7. 5) vs (34. 6±7. 7),t=3. 311,P=0. 001) than the control group. Conclusions PBG is effective in reducing occupational burnout among PCPs.