Grit and resilience among pulmonary and critical care physicians: A multi-institutional study

Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine (PCCM) physicians work in stressful environments and are at risk for burnout. Grit and resilience have been shown to protect against burnout in various medical specialties, but this relationship has not been explored among PCCM physicians. The purpose of this study was to determine associations between grit and resilience with burnout, academic productivity, and COVID-19-related clinical experiences in PCCM fellows and faculty.

A cross-sectional, multi-institutional survey was conducted during the 2022-2023 academic year among PCCM fellows and faculty from six academic institutions. Measures included the Short Grit Scale, Connor-Davidson Resilience scale, single-item measures of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, ICU-level COVID-19 experience, and academic productivity metrics. Mixed-effects proportional odds regression models assessed relationships between grit, resilience, burnout, and academic performance, considering clustering within institutions.

One hundred and thirty-one participants were surveyed with a response rate of 40.3 %. Median scores for grit, burnout, and resiliency were 3.8 (0-5), 4 (0-12), and 31 (0-40), respectively. Higher grit correlated with less burnout (OR=0.34, p < 0.001), fewer PubMed publications (OR = 0.57, p = 0.048), and more national or international presentations (OR = 1.99, p = 0.027). Higher resilience was associated with less burnout (OR = 0.90, p = 0.001).

This is the first study to examine grit and resilience in the field of PCCM. Higher grit and resilience were associated with less burnout in PCCM physicians. Additionally, physicians with higher grit and resilience scores experienced more COVID-19 related deaths. Given the intense and emotionally taxing nature of PCCM, further research on interventions to optimize grit and resilience in PCCM physicians is needed.