Impact of physician workload on burnout in the emergency department

Emergency medicine is one of the medical fields with the highest rates of physician burnout. Research demonstrates hospitalists believe increasing workloads contribute to decreases in patient safety and satisfaction, and increases in morbidity and mortality. Our objective was to identify if emergency physicians who believe workload impacts patient care also experience worse rates of burnout symptoms. This two-phase study used an online survey with cross-sectional design distributed to emergency medicine physicians following the New Jersey American College of Emergency Physicians (NJ ACEP) Scientific Assembly in May 2016 and members of the ACEP Well-Being Committee and Wellness Section in December 2016. Respondents felt the greatest workload burdens by being '…unable to fully discuss treatment options or answer questions of a patient or family member' or leading to 'Delay in admitting or discharging patients.' Excessive workload also contributed to respondents having to 'Admit to hospital instead of discharge' and resulted in 'Worsened patient satisfaction.' The 'Emotional Exhaustion' domain of the Maslach Burnout Inventory was the most highly affected by the perceived effects of workload on patient outcomes and 'Personal Accomplishment' was least affected. This research highlights the perception that workload contributing to patient harm may be associated with emergency medicine burnout.