Burnout and Association With Resident Performance as Assessed by Pediatric Milestones: An Exploratory Study

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Resident Well-being
• Performance Assessment

Background:

• Previous studies linked medical trainee burnout to decreased performance, but often relied on self-reports or single sites.
• National data on burnout and objective performance metrics in pediatric residents were lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between burnout and Milestones-based performance scores in a national cohort of pediatric residents.
• To identify which components of burnout (depersonalization, emotional exhaustion, personal accomplishment) most significantly impact resident performance.

Main Methods:

• Confidential surveys using the Maslach Burnout Inventory were administered to residents.
• Program-submitted Milestones scores were collected for each resident.
• Multivariate analysis examined the association between burnout and performance across all Milestones domains.

Main Results:

• Of 2368 residents, 1494 (63%) at 32 programs completed surveys and had Milestones scores.
• Burned-out residents scored lower in all Milestones domains compared to non-burned-out peers.
• The association was significant only in first-year (PGY1) residents, with lower scores in patient care, systems-based practice, learning and improvement, and communication skills.

Conclusions:

• Burnout is linked to decreased Milestones performance in pediatric PGY1 residents.
• Lower personal accomplishment and higher depersonalization were associated with poorer patient care scores in PGY1 residents.
• Further research is needed to determine if burnout mitigation strategies can enhance resident performance.