The burden of burnout: Understanding its prevalence and organizational drivers in medical physics

Abstract

Background: Burnout is a work-related syndrome characterized by increased levels of emotional exhaustion (EE) and depersonalization (DP) along with decreased levels of personal achievement. In the healthcare setting, higher burnout levels have been associated with negative impacts on personnel, an increased risk of errors, and a decrease in the quality of delivered care.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of burnout among medical physicists working in the United States. Additionally, the impact of personal and organizational features on burnout risk was examined.

Methods: The anonymous survey was distributed to 1962 full members of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine. The survey consisted of seven demographic questions, the validated Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), and an organizational assessment tool. Burnout risk was evaluated using two different scoring methods. Inferential statistics were employed to examine the relationship between burnout and personal features, such as practiced sub-specialty, and organizational features, including the respondent's assigned facility safety score.

Results: A total of 337 responses were received, and 59.9% of medical physicist participants scored high on at least one burnout domain. A statistically significant association was found between the EE and DP burnout domains and personal factors, including working as a therapy medical physicist, working longer hours, and a moderate or significant impact on work-related feelings due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A statistically significant relationship was identified between all three burnout domains and the respondent's assigned facility safety score. Amongst therapy physicists, an inverse relationship was observed between all three burnout domains and both the teamwork and staffing constructs, as well as the open communication and punitive concerns construct.

Conclusions: Medical physicists in the United States are experiencing significant levels of burnout. Importantly, this study identified a link between quantitative burnout scores and facility safety, stressing the importance of addressing burnout.

Keywords: burnout; medical physicist; quality; safety.

FIGURE 1

Histograms of the average scores for all participants on the EE (a), DP (b), and PA (c) domains. The mean domain score across all participants is denoted by the black line. A higher risk of burnout is indicated by higher scores on the EE and DP domains and a lower score on the PA domain. DP, depersonalization; EE, emotional exhaustion; PA, personal achievement.

FIGURE 2

(a) Burnout risk among medical physicists utilizing the critical threshold scoring methodology. Among the respondents, 40.1% scored below the critical threshold in all three domains, suggesting they are engaged employees. 6.6% scored above the critical threshold on all three domains, suggesting burnout. The remaining 53.3% fell into an intermediate category, with 35.4% and 17.9% exceeding the critical threshold on 1 and 2 domains, respectively. Without intervention, these individuals are at risk of progressing to full burnout. (b) Distribution of participants who exceeded the critical threshold on only one domain. (c) Distribution of participants who exceeded the critical threshold on two domains.

FIGURE 3

Average EE and DP scores as a function of the impact of COVID‐19 on respondents’ job‐related feelings. There is excellent agreement between the average domain scores and the scores predicted using a linear regression model. No statistically significant relationship between the COVID‐19 impact score and the PA burnout domain was observed. DP, depersonalization; EE, emotional exhaustion; PA, personal achievement.

FIGURE 4

Average burnout domain scores as a function of the respondent's assigned facility safety grade. As the facility safety grade increased, EE and DP decreased while PA increased. Lower burnout risk is indicated by lower scores on the EE and DP domains and a higher score on the PA domain. DP, depersonalization; EE, emotional exhaustion; PA, personal achievement.

FIGURE 5

Burnout risk among medical physicists compared with the published burnout results of radiation oncology academic chairs. Both studies used the MBI and the historical cut score methodology. * Indicates high‐risk category on each domain. MBI, Maslach Burnout Inventory.

FIGURE 6

A summary of the relationships between burnout risk and job features among medical physicists in the United States.