Impact of COVID-19 on American Family Physicians' Intent to Retreat from Clinical Care

This survey evaluated whether the COVID-19 pandemic was a traumatic stress event for family physicians associated with burnout, changes in life priorities, and intentions to retreat from clinical practice.

We report on 683 clinically active family physicians surveyed through the Council of Academic Family Medicine's Educational Research Alliance (CERA) in the fall of 2021.

Overall, 35.2% of family physicians experienced the pandemic as a traumatic stress like event. This was associated with changing life priorities (OR 2.6, CI 1.8-3.9), burnout (OR 1.6, CI 1.1 to 2.4), and withdrawal from clinical practice in various ways. Those who changed their priorities in life were more likely to restrict scope of practice (OR 3.9, CI 2.6-5.9), reduce clinical work effort (OR 3.4, 2.3 to 5.1), relocate (OR 3.1, CI 2.0 to 4.8), retire (OR 2.7, CI 1.4-4.9), reroute their career away from patient care (OR 2.1, CI 1.4-3.1) and less likely to avoid redesigning the practice to improve well-being (OR 0.3, CI 0.2-0.7). Those who experienced burnout were more likely to retire (OR 5.5, CI 2.8 to 10.5), reduce clinical work effort (OR 4.2, CI 2.9-6.1), reroute their career away from patient care (OR 3.9, CI 2.6-5.8), relocate (OR 3.8, CI 2.4 to 5.9), and restrict scope of practice (OR 3.3, CI 2.3 to 4.9). Overall, 48.5% of family physicians expressed some intention to retreat from clinical practice.

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted family physician's career plans. Remedying burnout is a high-yield opportunity for retaining clinically active family physicians. Physicians retreating from clinical medicine related to changing life's priorities needs further exploration.