TY - JOUR
T1 - A Survey of Burnout Among Members of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand
AU - Morrell, Nathan T.
AU - Sears, Erika D.
AU - Desai, Mihir J.
AU - Forseth, Michael J.
AU - McClelland, Walter B.
AU - Chang, James
AU - Kakar, Sanjeev
N1 - Funding Information:
Dr Sears is supported by Career Development Award number IK2 HX002592 from the US Department of Veterans Affairs Health Services R&D Service. The funding organizations had no role in the design and conduct of the study, including collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data. No other benefits in any form have been received or will be received related directly or indirectly to the subject of this article.
Funding Information:
Dr Sears is supported by Career Development Award number IK2 HX002592 from the US Department of Veterans AffairsHealth Services R&D Service. The funding organizations had no role in the design and conduct of the study, including collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data. No other benefits in any form have been received or will be received related directly or indirectly to the subject of this article.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 American Society for Surgery of the Hand
PY - 2020/7
Y1 - 2020/7
N2 - Purpose: Physician burnout affects approximately half of US physicians, significantly higher than the general working population. The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of burnout specifically among hand surgeons and to identify factors unique to the practice of hand surgery that may contribute to burnout. Methods: A Web-based survey, developed in conjunction with the American Medical Association, was administered to all active and lifetime members of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand using the Mini Z Burnout assessment tool. Additional data were collected regarding physician demographics and practice characteristics. Results: The final cohort included 595 US hand surgeons (American Society for Surgery of the Hand [ASSH] members) and demonstrated that 77% of respondents were satisfied with their job, although 49% regarded themselves as having burnout. Lower burnout rates were correlated with physicians aged older than 65, those who practice in an outpatient setting, practice hand surgery only, visit one facility per week, having a lower commute time, those who performed 10 or fewer surgeries per month, and being considered grandfathered for Maintenance of Certification. It was shown that sex, the use of physician extenders, compensation level, and travel club involvement had no impact on burnout rates. Conclusions: The survey demonstrated that nearly half of US hand surgeons experience burnout even though most are satisfied with their jobs. There is a need to increase awareness and promote targeted interventions to reduce burnout, such as creating a strong team culture, improving resiliency, and enhancing leadership. Clinical relevance: Burnout has been shown to affect physicians, their families, patient care, and the health care system as a whole negatively. The findings should promote awareness among hand surgeons and inform future quality improvement efforts targeted at reducing burnout for hand surgeons.
AB - Purpose: Physician burnout affects approximately half of US physicians, significantly higher than the general working population. The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of burnout specifically among hand surgeons and to identify factors unique to the practice of hand surgery that may contribute to burnout. Methods: A Web-based survey, developed in conjunction with the American Medical Association, was administered to all active and lifetime members of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand using the Mini Z Burnout assessment tool. Additional data were collected regarding physician demographics and practice characteristics. Results: The final cohort included 595 US hand surgeons (American Society for Surgery of the Hand [ASSH] members) and demonstrated that 77% of respondents were satisfied with their job, although 49% regarded themselves as having burnout. Lower burnout rates were correlated with physicians aged older than 65, those who practice in an outpatient setting, practice hand surgery only, visit one facility per week, having a lower commute time, those who performed 10 or fewer surgeries per month, and being considered grandfathered for Maintenance of Certification. It was shown that sex, the use of physician extenders, compensation level, and travel club involvement had no impact on burnout rates. Conclusions: The survey demonstrated that nearly half of US hand surgeons experience burnout even though most are satisfied with their jobs. There is a need to increase awareness and promote targeted interventions to reduce burnout, such as creating a strong team culture, improving resiliency, and enhancing leadership. Clinical relevance: Burnout has been shown to affect physicians, their families, patient care, and the health care system as a whole negatively. The findings should promote awareness among hand surgeons and inform future quality improvement efforts targeted at reducing burnout for hand surgeons.
KW - Burnout
KW - hand surgeons
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U2 - 10.1016/j.jhsa.2020.03.023
DO - 10.1016/j.jhsa.2020.03.023
M3 - Article
C2 - 32471755
AN - SCOPUS:85085323550
SN - 0363-5023
VL - 45
SP - 573-581.e16
JO - Journal of Hand Surgery
JF - Journal of Hand Surgery
IS - 7
ER -