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Burnout among early-career medical oncologists: A single-institution experience
Journal of Clinical Oncology ; 40(16), 2022.
Article in English | EMBASE | ID: covidwho-2009556
ABSTRACT

Background:

Burnout is a psychological syndrome defined by the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) as emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a low sense of personal accomplishment. Risk of job-related burnout for early-career medical oncologists can significantly impact career longevity and health outcomes for providers and patients alike. Because little is known about burnout specific to early-career academic oncologists, we sought to characterize the prevalence of burnout and associated factors among Assistant Professors at MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC).

Methods:

For this IRB-approved retrospective study, an electronic survey was developed for Assistant Professors in medical oncology at MDACC. Participants were all involved directly in patient care with at least some clinical effort. Our survey included nine questions validated in the MBI addressing equally the 3 aforementioned domains of burnout. An additional 31 questions were formulated to assess personal and professional factors that may contribute to burnout at our institution (clinical workload, research expectations, communication, COVID, and home-life). Each question was scored on a scale of 1 to 5, with higher scores correlating to higher levels of burnout. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the prevalence of burnout, and logistic regression analyses were performed to identify characteristics associated with burnout.

Results:

Among 70 (of 86 total) Assistant Professors who responded, mean duration on faculty was 3.1 years (standard deviation +/-1.8). Mean clinical effort was 67% (range, 19-95). Gender identifications were 44% female, 54% male, and 2% non-binary. 54% of respondents reported symptoms of burnout already, including 21% endorsing severe burnout. Severe burnout was more common for solid tumor providers than liquid tumor providers (55% vs 13%, p =.03). Using the MBI, severe emotional exhaustion (25%) was more prevalent (p <.0001) than depersonalization (6%) or lack of personal accomplishment (17%). Sentiments of being “emotionally drained” (20%), fatigue to face another day on the job” (37%), and “becoming more callous” (30%) were especially concerning among early-career faculty. Emotional exhaustion was associated with a feeling of less autonomy over personal decision making (p =.03) and female gender (p =.04).

Conclusions:

Burnout exists with high prevalence among early-career medical oncologists in this single-institution analysis. Emotional exhaustion was the specific manifestation of burnout in this population. Further validation of these data nationwide is anticipated. Interventions focusing on reducing emotional exhaustion are under development to reduce medical oncology-specific burnout in an academic setting for faculty retention and for deliverance of optimal care to patients with cancer.
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Full text: Available Collection: Databases of international organizations Database: EMBASE Language: English Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology Year: 2022 Document Type: Article

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Full text: Available Collection: Databases of international organizations Database: EMBASE Language: English Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology Year: 2022 Document Type: Article