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.
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- CorrectionMayo Clinic ProceedingsVol. 91Issue 2
- PreviewIn the Original Article entitled “Changes in Burnout and Satisfaction With Work-Life Balance in Physicians and the General US Working Population Between 2011 and 2014” published in the December 2015 issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings (Mayo Clin Proc. 2015;90(12):1600-1613), the term ophthalmology was spelled incorrectly in Figure 1.
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- Factors Affecting Burnout in PhysiciansMayo Clinic ProceedingsVol. 91Issue 4
- PreviewI appreciated the insightful data presented by Shanafelt et al1 in their article in the December 2015 issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, and I share the concerns about burnout rates among physicians in the United States. Although burnout is undoubtedly a multifactorial issue, one wonders about the role of recent federal mandates.
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- Burnout and the Ethos of Medical PracticeMayo Clinic ProceedingsVol. 91Issue 4
- PreviewThe article by Shanafelt et al1 published in the December 2015 issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings describes the very serious and worsening problem of burnout among American physicians, and the editorial by Ariely and Lanier2 attempts to elucidate the causes, noting asymmetrical awards, loss of autonomy, and cognitive scarcity. I could not agree more on one point that Ariely and Lanier made, that the “micromanaging of physicians' time and decisions” in the name of productivity by their corporate overseers is a major factor in the burnout and that it needs to be addressed.
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