Physician Burnout in a Rural Kansas Community

Physician wellness and burnout are topics of intense discussion and study, however, less is known about rural physician burnout. The aim of this study was to assess levels of physician burnout in the rural Kansas community of Salina.

An electronic, confidential survey was conducted among 145 physicians with active privileges at the local health center and/or surgical center. The survey included demographic features, practice characteristics, and the abbreviated Maslach Burnout Inventory™ (aMBI). In addition, survey participants were invited to provide free-text responses to questions concerning specific causes of burnout and mechanisms to combat feelings of burnout.

Of 145 invited, 76 physicians completed the survey. Thirty-six respondents self-identified as primary care physicians, 22 as subspecialists, and 18 as surgeons. aMBI scores for emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (D) and personal accomplishment (PA) ranged from 0 to 18. The mean EE score was 8.4 (SD = 4.9), mean D score was 4.8 (SD = 3.9), and mean PA score was 15.2 (SD = 2.8). Using tertiles, physician burnout (i.e., those in the first tertile) for EE was 39% (30/76), D was 34% (26/76), and PA was 41% (31/75); 22% of physicians surveyed scored high on both EE and D as measured by tertiles, suggestive of more serious burnout. No significant differences in aMBI scores were observed for demographic features or practice characteristics; physicians who worked with medical students had higher PA scores. Contributing to burnout were demands of documentation and difficult patient encounters, while true time away might ameliorate rural physician burnout.

As measured by aMBI constructs, burnout is prevalent among the responding rural physicians practicing in the Salina community.