Workplace support for physicians during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Did it affect burnout?

Area of Science:

• Medical research
• Public health
• Occupational health

Background:

• Physician burnout was a pre-existing concern that significantly worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Limited empirical data existed on pandemic-specific workplace support interventions and their impact on physician burnout.
• This study surveyed frontline physicians to assess burnout and workplace support during the pandemic.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the prevalence of physician burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To identify workplace support interventions implemented during the pandemic.
• To examine the association between workplace interventions and physician burnout.

Main Methods:

• A national sample of 12,833 US physicians, stratified by specialty (primary care, hospitalists, critical care, emergency medicine, infectious disease), was surveyed.
• The Professional Fulfillment Index Burnout Composite scale (PFI-BC) assessed burnout.
• Weighted logistic regression analyzed the association of physician characteristics and workplace interventions with burnout.

Main Results:

• Overall physician burnout was 45.4%, a significant increase from previous surveys.
• Key reported stressors included staffing shortages and increased patient volume/complexity.
• Most frequent interventions were personal protective equipment (PPE) access (70.0%) and improved telehealth (43.4%).
• Priority interventions identified by physicians were increased financial support and staffing.

Conclusions:

• Physician burnout escalated during the pandemic, driven by staffing issues and patient acuity.
• Respondents emphasized the need for administrative efforts to mitigate burnout.
• Effective burnout mitigation requires system-level changes, including improved staffing, compensation, and team building, rather than solely individual stress reduction.