Pediatric Resident Burnout and Attitudes Toward Patients

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Pediatrics
• Physician Well-being

Background:

• Physician burnout affects a significant portion of resident physicians.
• Pediatric residents face unique stressors that may contribute to burnout.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of burnout among pediatric residents.
• To examine the association between burnout and self-reported patient care attitudes and behaviors in this population.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional survey was administered to 258 pediatric residents across 11 programs.
• Burnout was assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory, and patient care attitudes/behaviors were measured via a standardized survey.
• Statistical analyses, including logistic regression, were used to identify associations.

Main Results:

• 39% of pediatric residents reported burnout.
• Burnout was significantly associated with negative patient care attitudes and behaviors, including discharging patients prematurely, incomplete patient communication, and medication errors.
• Residents experiencing burnout were more likely to report suboptimal care across multiple domains.

Conclusions:

• Burnout is highly prevalent in pediatric residency programs.
• Burnout is associated with self-reported negative patient care attitudes and behaviors.
• Residency programs should implement interventions to mitigate burnout and its impact on patient care quality.