Elsevier

Mayo Clinic Proceedings

Volume 90, Issue 12, December 2015, Pages 1600-1613
Mayo Clinic Proceedings

Original article
Changes in Burnout and Satisfaction With Work-Life Balance in Physicians and the General US Working Population Between 2011 and 2014

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2015.08.023Get rights and content

Abstract

Objective

To evaluate the prevalence of burnout and satisfaction with work-life balance in physicians and US workers in 2014 relative to 2011.

Patients and Methods

From August 28, 2014, to October 6, 2014, we surveyed both US physicians and a probability-based sample of the general US population using the methods and measures used in our 2011 study. Burnout was measured using validated metrics, and satisfaction with work-life balance was assessed using standard tools.

Results

Of the 35,922 physicians who received an invitation to participate, 6880 (19.2%) completed surveys. When assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory, 54.4% (n=3680) of the physicians reported at least 1 symptom of burnout in 2014 compared with 45.5% (n=3310) in 2011 (P<.001). Satisfaction with work-life balance also declined in physicians between 2011 and 2014 (48.5% vs 40.9%; P<.001). Substantial differences in rates of burnout and satisfaction with work-life balance were observed by specialty. In contrast to the trends in physicians, minimal changes in burnout or satisfaction with work-life balance were observed between 2011 and 2014 in probability-based samples of working US adults, resulting in an increasing disparity in burnout and satisfaction with work-life balance in physicians relative to the general US working population. After pooled multivariate analysis adjusting for age, sex, relationship status, and hours worked per week, physicians remained at an increased risk of burnout (odds ratio, 1.97; 95% CI, 1.80-2.16; P<.001) and were less likely to be satisfied with work-life balance (odds ratio, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.62-0.75; P<.001).

Conclusion

Burnout and satisfaction with work-life balance in US physicians worsened from 2011 to 2014. More than half of US physicians are now experiencing professional burnout.

Section snippets

Patients and Methods

The 2014 survey used methods similar to those of the 2011 study.1 At both time points, we assessed a range of personal and professional characteristics as well as personal well-being in several dimensions (described below).

Well-being of US Physicians

Of the 35,922 physicians who received an invitation to participate, 6880 (19.2%) completed surveys. The demographic characteristics of participants relative to all 835,451 US physicians were generally similar, although participants were slightly older (Table 1). The 2014 participants were also similar to the 2011 participants (Supplemental Table 1, available online at http://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org) other than a slight increase in women physicians (2011: 28.1%; 2014: 32.5%), consistent

Discussion

Burnout is a pervasive problem among physicians that appears to be getting worse. Our findings suggest a 10% increase in the prevalence of burnout among US physicians over the last 3 years. More than half of the US physicians in our survey had symptoms of burnout when assessed using the full MBI, with increased rates of burnout observed across all specialties. A substantial erosion in satisfaction with WLB has also been observed among US physicians over the past 3 years, despite no increase in

Conclusion

Burnout and satisfaction with WLB among US physicians are getting worse. American medicine appears to be at a tipping point with more than half of US physicians experiencing professional burnout. Given the extensive evidence that burnout among physicians has effects on quality of care, patient satisfaction, turnover, and patient safety, these findings have important implications for society at large.11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 There is an urgent need for systematic application of

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  • Cited by (0)

    For editorial comment, see page 1593; for a related article, see page 1694

    Grant Support: The work was supported by the Mayo Clinic Program on Physician Well-being.

    Potential Competing Interests: Dr Shanafelt is co-inventor of the Physician Well-being Index.

    Mayo Clinic holds the copyright on this technology and accordingly Mayo Clinic and Dr Shanafelt have a potential financial interest in this technology. The Physician Well-Being Index has been licensed to a commercial entity, although no royalties have been received to date.

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