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. 2024 Jun 3;7(6):e2415593.
doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.15593.

Burnout Among Mid-Career Academic Medical Faculty

Kelly C Paradis  1 , Eve A Kerr  2   3 , Kent A Griffith  4   5 , Christina M Cutter  5   6 , Eva L Feldman  7 , Kanakadurga Singer  8 , Nancy D Spector  9 , Peter A Ubel  10 , Reshma Jagsi  5   11
Affiliations

Burnout Among Mid-Career Academic Medical Faculty

Kelly C Paradis et al. JAMA Netw Open. .

Abstract

Importance: Studies reveal that most physicians report symptoms of burnout. Less is known about burnout in mid-career medical faculty specifically.

Objective: To characterize burnout and its risk factors, particularly differences by gender, among mid-career medical faculty.

Design, setting, and participants: Between August 2021 and August 2022, a survey was sent to 1430 individuals who received new National Institutes of Health K08 and K23 career development awards from 2006 to 2009. Data were analyzed between June and October 2023.

Main outcomes and measures: Personal and work-related burnout as evaluated using the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI). The CBI score ranges from 0 to 100, with a score of 50 or higher indicating a high degree of burnout. Multivariable models were used to investigate associations between burnout and participant characteristics, including race and ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity, academic rank, work climate, experiences of workplace sexual harassment, sleep hours, work and domestic caregiving time, and time allocation changes in work and domestic work hours compared with before the COVID-19 pandemic. Work climate was evaluated by a general climate elements scale assessing elements such as friendliness, respect, and collegiality, and a diversity, equity, and inclusion climate elements scale assessing elements such as homogeneity, sexism, and homophobia; higher scores indicated a more favorable view of the climate.

Results: In all, 1430 surveys were sent, 926 candidates responded (65% response rate), and the analytic cohort was limited to the 841 respondents who were still in academic medicine (50.7% men). Burnout was significantly more common for women than men (mean [SD] CBI personal scores, 46.6 [19.4] vs 37.5 [17.2]; P < .001; mean [SD] CBI work-related scores, 43.7 [20.4] vs 34.6 [19.7]; P < .001). In multivariable models, personal burnout was significantly more likely for women (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 2.29 [95% CI, 1.54-3.41]; P < .001) and with more weekly hours of patient care (AOR, 1.07 [95% CI, 1.00-1.15] for each 5-hour increase; P = .04). Personal burnout was less likely with more nightly sleep hours (AOR, 0.68 [95% CI, 0.56-0.81] for each 1-hour increase; P < .001) and with an improved general work climate rating (AOR, 0.64 [95% CI, 0.48-0.85] for each 1-point increase in general work climate scale score; P = .002). Work-related burnout was also significantly more likely for women than men (AOR, 1.77 [95% CI, 1.17-2.69]; P = .007). Greater work-related burnout was associated with an increase of 8 or more work hours per week compared with before the COVID-19 pandemic (AOR, 1.87 [95% CI, 1.13-3.08]; P = .01), more weekly hours of patient care (AOR, 1.11 [95% CI, 1.03-1.19] for each 5-hour increase; P = .007), and a workplace sexual harassment experience in the past 2 years (AOR, 1.71 [95% CI, 1.11-2.62]; P = .01). Work-related burnout was significantly less likely with more nightly sleep hours (AOR, 0.80 [95% CI, 0.66-0.96] for each 1-hour increase; P = .02) and with an improved general work climate rating (AOR, 0.49; [95% CI, 0.36-0.65] for each 1-point increase in general work climate scale score; P < .001).

Conclusions and relevance: This survey study of K grant awardees revealed substantial rates of burnout among mid-career medical faculty, and burnout rates differed by gender. Evidence-based interventions are needed to realize the benefits of workforce diversity and vitality.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: Dr Kerr reported receiving a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) during the conduct of the study; and a grant from VA Health Systems Research outside the submitted work. Dr Cutter reported receiving a grant from the NIH during the conduct of the study; and grants from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and personal fees from the Research Consortium for Health Care Value Assessment, the RAND Corporation, and Wolters Kluwer outside the submitted work. Dr Feldman reported receiving a grant from the NIH during the conduct of the study; and grants from the NIH, the Diabetic Complications Consortium, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the US Department of Defense, and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation outside the submitted work. Dr Singer reported receiving a grant from the NIH during the conduct of the study. Dr Spector reported being a cofounder of and holding equity in the I-PASS Patient Safety Institute during the conduct of the study. Dr Jagsi reported receiving a grant from the NIH during the conduct of the study; and receiving grants from the NIH, the Komen Foundation, the American Cancer Society, and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation; personal fees from the NIH, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Greenwall Foundation, Kleinbard LLC, Hawks Quindel, Physicians’ Education Resource, and Blue Cross Blue Shield Association; and stock options in Equity Quotient outside the submitted work. No other disclosures were reported.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Bivariate Results for Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) Scores by Gender
Circles represent the mean and whiskers indicate 95% CIs. aItem is reverse scored.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.. Multivariable Associations of Personal Burnout on the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory
Races and ethnicities included in the underrepresented in medicine (URIM) category included American Indian or Alaska Native, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, or multiple races other than Asian and White, which was categorized as Asian. AOR indicates adjusted odds ratio; DEI, diversity, equity, and inclusion; LGBTQ+, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer, with the plus holding space for the expanding definition of this term; NA, not applicable; and SOGI, sexual orientation and gender identity.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.. Multivariate Associations of Work-Related Burnout on the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory
Races and ethnicities included in the underrepresented in medicine (URIM) category included American Indian or Alaska Native, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, or multiple races other than Asian and White, which was categorized as Asian. AOR indicates adjusted odds ratio; DEI, diversity, equity, and inclusion; LGBTQ+, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer, with the plus holding space for the expanding definition of this term; NA, not applicable; and SOGI, sexual orientation and gender identity.
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