Management of stress and prevention of burnout in emergency physicians

We conducted a study to measure participating practitioners' burnout levels and to identify coping methods used by these physicians to manage stress. A cross-sectional study was done with a sample of 77 physicians employed in emergency departments in 24 private, public, and university-affiliated teaching hospitals in the greater Los Angeles area. Data revealed that 60% of the physicians reported medium to high emotional exhaustion and 78% medium to high depersonalization, while 84% reported medium to high levels of personal achievement. Physicians who reported high levels of job satisfaction and personal accomplishment use a balanced number of short- and long-term coping methods in dealing with stress. Further studies should be undertaken to facilitate in-depth analysis of the characteristics of those emergency physicians who report low levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization as well as high levels of personal achievement to identify factors that lead to the successful practice of emergency medicine.