One in Four US Cardiologists Burned Out, Run Down Patrice Wendling June 26, 2019 published in the July 2 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and was completed by 2313 American cardiologists. Results on professional satisfaction and workplace discrimination were previously reported. The new findings focus on 10 additional questions from the validated Mini-Z burnout survey completed by 2274 cardiologists and fellows in training, of whom 953 were women. Overall, women reported burnout more frequently than men (31% vs 24%; P ≤ .001). A deeper dive into these data is expected later this year, said Mehta, who notably juggled this interview while on holiday in Yellowstone National Park. Is the Tide Turning? "Despite the fact there's some very, very concerning things, the one thing that is heartening is that this survey was actually better than most of the others that we've seen in terms of the rates of burnout including cardiologists. Usually you're seeing rates in the forty to fifty zone," cardiologist John P. Erwin, MD, chair of internal medicine at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center, Temple, Texas, told theheart.org | Medscape Cardiology. Indeed, 43% of cardiologists reported being burned out in the 2019 Medscape report on cardiologist lifestyle, happiness, and burnout. The investigators note it does not use a validated measure of burnout and is a convenience sample, but also acknowledge that others have reported that about 44% of physicians are experiencing burnout. "It is unclear why the prevalence of burnout in the current study of cardiologists is lower than prior reports of other specialties but may be attributable to the burnout assessment tool used, cardiologists' resilience, and/or unique elements of the field/practice of cardiology that may be more protective than those found in other disciplines," they write.
Burnout Starts Early, Especially in Some Specialties Tara Haelle September 18, 2018 published online today in JAMA. However, not all specialties are equally affected by burnout or regret, the authors report. Despite the high prevalence of burnout among residents, a systematic review published in the same issue finds that studies of physician burnout vary so greatly in their definitions and measurement tools that little can be concluded about the overall prevalence of burnout among physicians in general. The review of 182 studies worldwide found physician burnout rates range from 0% to more than 85%, depending on definitions and cutoffs of burnout measurement. In the study on residents, Liselotte N. Dyrbye, MD, MHPE, of the Mayo Clinic, and colleagues prospectively tracked 4696 US resident physicians from 49 medical schools for up to 6 years starting from their first year in medical school. First-year students filled out a baseline questionnaire between October 2010 and January 2011 and then two more questionnaires in their fourth school year and their second year of residency. The questionnaires collected information on participants' demographics, clinical specialty, educational debt, and US Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 score. Students also answered questions about their levels of anxiety, empathy, and social support while in medical school; in later surveys, they were asked if they regretted their career choice. Of the 76.4% of participants (n = 3588) who completed the second-year residency questionnaire, 45% reported burnout symptoms and 14% regretted their career choice. Burnout prevalence was lowest in dermatology, at 29.6%, and highest in urology, at 63.8%. Rates of burnout were in the middle range among those in primary care specialties, including 42.6% in internal medicine, 37.2% in family medicine, and 43.2% in pediatrics. In multivariate analyses, compared to internal medicine residents, residents in urology, neurology, emergency medicine, and general surgery were significantly more likely to report symptoms of burnout, depending on their specialty (relative risk [RR], 1.24 - 1.48). In contrast, residents in dermatology and pathology were significantly less likely to report burnout (RR, .62 - .63) Women were 17% more likely to report burnout symptoms than their male counterparts (RR, 1.17). Dyrbye and colleagues suggest that "difficulties with work-life balance and work-home conflicts, sexism, stereotype threat and discrimination may play a part." Anxiety appeared to be a risk factor for subsequent burnout. Specifically, for each additional percentage point of anxiety an individual reported in medical school, the risk for burnout symptoms increased by 8%. Empathy emerged as a protective factor, however, with residents having a 1% lower risk for burnout symptoms for each 1-point increase in empathy they reported in medical school. Both burnout and clinical specialty were significantly linked to regretting career choice in varying amounts, depending on the specialty.
Facing Burnout the First Year of Residency Kristina Dakis, MD Family Medicine for America's Health, because feeling like I was making a difference in my own small way was really therapeutic for me.
