Longitudinal Study Evaluating the Association Between Physician Burnout and Changes in Professional Work Effort.

Area of Science:

• Medical research
• Physician well-being
• Workforce studies

Background:

• Physician burnout and professional satisfaction are critical factors affecting healthcare.
• Understanding the impact of these factors on physician work effort is essential for workforce planning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To longitudinally evaluate the relationship between physician burnout and professional satisfaction with changes in their professional effort.
• To determine if burnout and satisfaction predict future reductions in work hours.

Main Methods:

• Administrative/payroll data from 2008-2014 were used to track full-time equivalent (FTE) work effort of faculty physicians.
• Physicians were surveyed in 2011 and 2013 using standardized tools to assess burnout and satisfaction.
• Statistical analysis correlated survey scores with subsequent changes in FTE.

Main Results:

• Between 2008 and 2014, the percentage of physicians working less than full-time increased from 13.5% to 16.0%.
• Higher emotional exhaustion scores were significantly associated with a greater likelihood of reducing FTE over the following 24 months (OR, 1.43).
• Lower job satisfaction scores were also significantly associated with a greater likelihood of reducing FTE (OR, 1.34).

Conclusions:

• Burnout and declining professional satisfaction are strongly linked to actual reductions in physician work effort.
• These findings highlight the importance of addressing physician well-being to maintain workforce capacity.