Resident and Faculty Perspectives on Prevention of Resident Burnout: A Focus Group Study

The high prevalence and negative implications of resident physicians' burnout is well documented, yet few effective interventions have been identified.

To document resident and faculty perspectives on resident burnout, including perceived contributing factors and their recommended strategies for attention and prevention.

We conducted 14 focus groups with core faculty and residents in 5 specialties at a large integrated health care system in Southern California. Training programs sampled included family medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, and psychiatry. Discussions were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a matrix-based approach to identify common themes.

Resident and faculty perspectives regarding causes of burnout, preventive factors, and potential intervention strategies.

Five themes captured the range of factors participants identified as contributing or protective factors for resident burnout: 1) having or lacking a sense of meaning at work; 2) fatigue and exhaustion; 3) cultural norms in medicine; 4) the steep learning curve from medical school to residency; and 5) social relationships at and outside work. Recommended intervention strategies targeted individuals, residents' social networks, and the learning and work environment.

We engaged residents and core faculty across specialties in the identification of factors contributing to burnout and possible targets for interventions. Our results highlight potential focus areas for future burnout interventions and point to the importance of interventions targeted at the social environments in which residents' work and learn.