Early-career physicians most susceptible to burnout; late-career physicians less vulnerable
FRIDAY, March 15, 2019 (HealthDay News) — From 2014 to 2017, there was an increase in physician burnout, with early-career physicians being the most susceptible, according to a study published online March 15 in JAMA Network Open.
Marcela G. del Carmen, M.D., M.P.H., from Massachusetts General Physicians Organization in Boston, and colleagues measured trends and examined factors associated with physician burnout in a survey study. Physician burnout was measured in a large academic medical practice; 1,774 of 1,850 eligible physicians completed the survey in 2014, and 1,882 of 2,031 completed the survey in 2017.
The researchers observed an increase in burnout from 2014 to 2017, from 40.6 to 45.6 percent. There was a correlation for the increased rate with an increase in exhaustion (from 52.9 to 57.7 percent) and in cynicism (from 44.8 to 51.1 percent). Early-career physicians (≤10 years since training) were more susceptible to burnout compared with midcareer physicians (11 to 20 years since training; odds ratio, 1.36); physicians in their late career (>30 years since training) were less vulnerable (odds ratio, 0.59).
“Remediation of burnout in health care necessitates centrally and locally designed initiatives,” the authors write. “Solutions to address physician burnout will entail shared commitment from physicians and organizations, as well as physician-, practice-, and institution-level initiatives.”
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