Burnout among Japanese emergency medicine physicians: A multicentric questionnaire study

Burnout negatively affects the wellness and performance of emergency physicians (EPs). This study aimed to clarify the actual prevalence of burnout and its associated factors among Japanese EPs.

We conducted a cross-sectional questionnaire study of selected 27 Japanese emergency departments (EDs). We examined the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey score and its associations with ED-level- and EP-level factors in a multivariable analysis.

A total of 267 EPs (81.9%) completed survey. Of these, 43 EPs (16.1%) scored severe emotional exhaustion (EE), 53 (19.8%) scored severe depersonalization (DP), and 179 (67.0%) scored severe personal accomplishment (PA), and 24 (8.9%) scored severely in all three domains. In our multivariable analysis, emergency medical service centers were associated with severe PA scores (odds ratio [OR], 10.56; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.78-62.66; p = 0.009). A 3 to 6 hour-sleep period was associated with severe EE scores (OR, 2.04; 95% CI, 1.04-3.98; p = 0.036), and EPs in their 20s were associated with severe DP scores (OR, 7.37; 95% CI, 1.41-38.38; p = 0.018).

Our results suggest that 8.9% of Japanese EPs are in higher degrees of burnout. In particular, Japanese EPs scored more severely on PA. To avoid burnout in Japanese EPs, it is important to improve the working environment by ensuring more than 6 h of sleep, providing more support for young EPs, and taking effective action to combat low EP self-esteem.