Burnout and depression among anesthesiology trainees in the United States: An updated National Survey

A high prevalence of burnout, depression and suicidal ideation has been reported among anesthesiology trainees. Over the last decade, there has been a significant emphasis on the development of wellness programs in academic departments to mitigate the prevalence and effects of burnout during anesthesiology training. Therefore, we aimed to reevaluate the prevalence of burnout and depression in anesthesiology trainees in the United States.

Cross-sectional survey.

Anesthesiology Department.

A nationally representative sample of 1000 anesthesiology trainees in the United States.

A 33-item questionnaire consisting of 1) burnout, 2) depression, 3) job satisfaction, 4) family support, 5) work characteristics, 6) demographic factors, 7) self-reported errors, and 8) impact of COVID-19 pandemic.

We received 384 responses. Twenty-four percent (91/384) of the respondents met the criteria for high burnout risk and 58/384 (15%) of the respondents screened positive for depression. Multivariable analysis revealed that: (1) hours per week > 70, (odds ratio [OR; 95% confidence interval {CI}] = 3.1 [1.4-6.8], P=0.005 and (2) overnight calls per month > 7 (OR [95% CI] = 2.5 [1.0- 6.0], P=0.03 were independent factors for increased odds of burnout whereas the presence of (3) married/domestic partnership (OR [95% CI} = 0.52 [0.32-0.85], P=0.01 was associated with lower odds of burnout and/or depression. Ten percent (4/40) of high burnout/depression residents reported that they often times fall short in the quality of care provided to patients compared to 0.36% (1/275) residents with low burnout/depression scores, P < 0.001. Similarly, 22% (9/40) of high burnout/depression residents reported that they often times did not have enough attention to their patients compared to 4% (11/275) residents with low burnout/depression scores, P < 0.001.

We report a still concerning but significantly lower rate of burnout and depression in anesthesiology trainees than previously reported a decade ago. This suggests that efforts on wellness implemented by academic programs have positively impacted the work experience of anesthesia trainees.