The Burden of Burnout

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Occupational Health
• Psychology

Background:

• The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) implemented duty hour rules in 2011 to address resident physician burnout.
• Despite these regulations, the prevalence and contributing factors to burnout in internal medicine residents require ongoing evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of burnout among internal medicine residents following the introduction of the 2011 ACGME duty hour rules.
• To identify specific factors and subgroups associated with higher burnout severity.

Main Methods:

• An anonymized, abbreviated version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory was used to assess burnout.
• Surveys were administered biweekly over 48 weeks during the 2013-2014 academic year.
• Burnout severity scores (≥3 indicating burnout) were compared across resident subgroups and rotation types.

Main Results:

• Overall, 24% of surveys were completed, with a mean burnout score of 2.8.
• Postgraduate year 2 residents reported the highest burnout severity (3.1).
• Residents on inpatient (3.1) and night float (3.8) rotations experienced significantly higher burnout than those on outpatient or consultation rotations.

Conclusions:

• Burnout continues to be a substantial problem for internal medicine residents, even after duty hour modifications.
• Specific resident years (PGY2) and rotation types (inpatient, night float) are associated with increased burnout severity.
• Further interventions may be necessary to mitigate resident burnout effectively.