In the Midst of an Epidemic

Physician burnout – a phrase being heard increasingly often. Between 2013 and 2015, the numbers of physicians experiencing burnout increased from 39.8 percent to 46 percent (1). And it’s no surprise: growing populations mean an increasing number of patients to see, and doctors are feeling the pressure. According to many physicians and leading experts, it’s a problem of epidemic proportions.

Ophthalmologists are certainly not immune to experiencing burnout. But what about ophthalmology residents? A team from the University of Washington, Seattle decided to find out by conducting a survey-based study of 267 ophthalmology residents (2). The residents answered questions on factors such as working hours, average sleep and physical activity, and general satisfaction, as well as completing the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). Prevalence of burnout, emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and personal accomplishment subsets were then analyzed and compared with demographic and working factors.

Key findings were as follows:

• The mean numbers of hours worked per week – not including study time – was 67 (range, 14–166 hours).
• Survey respondents reported a mean of 6.7 hours of sleep per night (range, <3–8 hours).
• Only 37 percent of participants reported having no burnout.
• No demographic factors were found to associate with burnout: marital status (single/married), parent status (parent/not parent) and clinic setting (academic, community, VA, consult, or county) were significantly associated with depersonalization; physical activity (≥2.5 or <2.5 hrs/week activity) were significantly associated with emotional exhaustion; and marital status was significantly associated with personal accomplishment.
• Working hours were significantly associated with burnout, emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and average hours of sleep per night on call was significantly associated with burnout and emotional exhaustion. The average number of encounters per night when on call was also significantly associated with emotional exhaustion and depersonalization.
• The top three factors reported to harm well-being were: sleep deprivation/disruption; call obligations; and work obligations/workload. The top three factors reported to improve well-being were: family, friends and other nurturing relationships; physical activity; and co-resident support.

The authors concluded that the prevalence of burnout, though high, was similar to other specialties – but wrote that “residency should be recognized as a period of vulnerability to burnout.”