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. 2024 Sep 16;28(3):58-68.
doi: 10.7812/TPP/24.040. Epub 2024 Jun 19.

Differences in Physician Burnout by Specialty: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Farhad Ghaseminejad  1 , Kira E Rich  2 , Debbie Rosenbaum  3 , Emilia Rydz  2 , Anita Palepu  3   4 , Peter Dodek  4   5 , Amy Salmon  4 , Heather A Leitch  6 , Andrea Townson  7 , Diane Lacaille  8   9 , Vishal P Varshney  10 , Nadia A Khan  1   3
Affiliations

Differences in Physician Burnout by Specialty: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Farhad Ghaseminejad et al. Perm J. .

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of physician burnout increased notably during the COVID-19 pandemic, but whether measures of burnout differed based on physician specialty is unknown. The authors sought to determine the prevalence of burnout, worklife conflict, and intention to quit among physicians from different specialties.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional online survey of physicians working at 2 urban hospitals in Vancouver, Canada, from August to October 2021. Responses were categorized by specialty (including surgical and nonsurgical), and data about whether physicians provided frontline patient care during COVID-19 were also included. Physician burnout was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory.

Results: The survey response rate was 42% (209/498). The overall prevalence of burnout was 69%. Burnout was not significantly different by specialty or between frontline COVID-19 specialties compared with other specialties. Physicians in surgical specialties were more likely to report work-life conflict than those in nonsurgical specialties (p = 0.012). Differences in intention to quit among specialties were not statistically significant.

Conclusion: During the COVID-19 pandemic, physician burnout was high across physicians, without significant differences between specialties, highlighting the need to support all physicians.

Keywords: frontline; physician burnout; surgical and nonsurgical specialties; work–life conflict.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest None declared

Figures

Figure 1:
Figure 1:
Prevalence of burnout by specialty. Obs & Gyne = obstetrics and gynecology.
Figure 2:
Figure 2:
Proportion of physicians who experienced high emotional exhaustion. Obs & Gyne = obstetrics and gynecology.
Figure 3:
Figure 3:
Multivariate association of specialty and high emotional exhaustion, high depersonalization, and low perception of personal accomplishment (dots represent odds ratios and whiskers, 95% confidence intervals).
Figure 4:
Figure 4:
Prevalence of perceived work–life conflict (%). Obs & Gyne = obstetrics and gynecology.
Figure 5:
Figure 5:
Prevalence of physicians who quit or intend to quit a position. Obs & Gyne = obstetrics and gynecology.
Figure 6:
Figure 6:
Multivariate association with specialty and burnout, quit or intention to quit, and perceived work–life conflict (dots represent odds ratios and whiskers, 95% confidence intervals).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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