Background: Burnout
appears to be an accelerating phenomenon, threatening the health and well-being
of providers and patients. There is concern, however, that the term is becoming
overused and that the measures may not capture the full picture, with an
assumption that the end-goal is the absence of burnout rather than the
promotion of wellness.
Methods: Cross-sectional
study of 25 ob-gyn faculty at a large academic medical center in the United
States. Outcome measures: Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, Work Empowerment
Scale, 2-item Maslach Burnout Inventory, and perceptions of connection in the
department.
Results: Fifty-six
percent of faculty met criteria for emotional exhaustion, 19% for
depersonalization, and 19% for high burnout. There was no difference in years
of practice and the presence of burnout (P=.74), and no association between
burnout and work engagement or work empowerment (P=.33 and P=.25, respectively).
Ninety-two percent feel a sense of connection and community at work and 92%
trust their colleagues and feel safe discussing concerns with them.
Discussions: Emotional exhaustion,
sometimes capitulated to be a sign of pathological burnout, may be an appropriate
and normal response to daily activities which does not impact engagement at
work. Shifting the focus away from burnout to positive psychology measures and
building community may be the key to nourishing joy in practice and
transforming the workplace to one that promotes wellness in the face of
adversity and challenge.
Topics: CREOG & APGO Annual Meeting, 2019, Faculty, Professionalism, Systems-Based Practice & Improvement, CME, General Ob-Gyn,
Arabella Simpkin,
MD, MMSc, Massachusetts
General Hospital; Susan Hata, MD;
Kaitlyn James,
PhD MPH; Lori
Berkowitz, MD
