Abstract
Objective
To evaluate the prevalence of burnout and satisfaction with work-life balance in physicians
and US workers in 2014 relative to 2011.
Patients and Methods
From August 28, 2014, to October 6, 2014, we surveyed both US physicians and a probability-based
sample of the general US population using the methods and measures used in our 2011
study. Burnout was measured using validated metrics, and satisfaction with work-life
balance was assessed using standard tools.
Results
Of the 35,922 physicians who received an invitation to participate, 6880 (19.2%) completed
surveys. When assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory, 54.4% (n=3680) of the
physicians reported at least 1 symptom of burnout in 2014 compared with 45.5% (n=3310)
in 2011 (P<.001). Satisfaction with work-life balance also declined in physicians between 2011
and 2014 (48.5% vs 40.9%; P<.001). Substantial differences in rates of burnout and satisfaction with work-life
balance were observed by specialty. In contrast to the trends in physicians, minimal
changes in burnout or satisfaction with work-life balance were observed between 2011
and 2014 in probability-based samples of working US adults, resulting in an increasing
disparity in burnout and satisfaction with work-life balance in physicians relative
to the general US working population. After pooled multivariate analysis adjusting
for age, sex, relationship status, and hours worked per week, physicians remained
at an increased risk of burnout (odds ratio, 1.97; 95% CI, 1.80-2.16; P<.001) and were less likely to be satisfied with work-life balance (odds ratio, 0.68;
95% CI, 0.62-0.75; P<.001).
Conclusion
Burnout and satisfaction with work-life balance in US physicians worsened from 2011
to 2014. More than half of US physicians are now experiencing professional burnout.
Abbreviations and Acronyms:
AMA (American Medical Association), MBI (Maslach Burnout Inventory), PMF (Physician Master File), WLB (work-life balance)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Footnotes
For editorial comment, see page 1593; for a related article, see page 1694
Grant Support: The work was supported by the Mayo Clinic Program on Physician Well-being.
Potential Competing Interests: Dr Shanafelt is co-inventor of the Physician Well-being Index.
Mayo Clinic holds the copyright on this technology and accordingly Mayo Clinic and Dr Shanafelt have a potential financial interest in this technology. The Physician Well-Being Index has been licensed to a commercial entity, although no royalties have been received to date.
Identification
Copyright
© 2015 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
