Brevity vs. Depth: Physician Perspectives On Physician Burnout Surveys

Introduction: Burnout is a healthcare crisis affecting ~50% of physicians, impairing physician health and well-being, and patient care and safety. It is important to identify the optimal survey to measure burnout. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) (20-items) measures emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP) and personal accomplishment (PA). The Mayo Well-Being Index (WBI) measures 6 dimensions of distress (9-items). While MBI is the gold standard and most robust, WBI is popular for its brevity.

Objectives: 1) Test the feasibility of on-line survey platforms to deliver physician burnout surveys; 2) Determine preferences for MBI vs. WBI to guide implementation of a system-wide burnout assessment.

Methods: All physicians participating in a cooking demonstration at The Queen’s Medical Center wellness event completed on-line versions of MBI, WBI and a survey assessing respondents’ attitudes towards burnout surveys. Data were collected and analyzed anonymously.

Results: Fifty-one (24 male; 27 female) physicians participated. WBI: 62% exceeded the burnout threshold. MBI: 51% met burnout threshold for EE, 31% for DP and 18% for PA; overall, 57% met burnout threshold for at least 1 of the 3 MBI domains, with women reporting more burnout than men (63% vs. 50%), particularly DP and PA. Although respondents took longer to complete MBI vs. WBI (7.5±4.0 vs. 4.2±2.6 min), physicians felt that both were of acceptable length (100% vs. 94%) and that it was reasonable to be asked to complete either survey annually (96% vs 98%). Only ~55% felt that their survey responses would remain confidential and anonymous.

Conclusion: Burnout among our physicians is similar to our mainland counterparts at >55%. While WBI is favored for its brevity, physicians found both WBI and MBI acceptable if administered annually. Given its robustness and results that may be more actionable, we will likely administer the MBI to our medical staff for burnout assessment.

Desired Impact (brief statement, not in the word count):
Obtaining physician feedback about burnout surveys will optimize our ability to monitor and characterize physician burnout and design interventions to improve physician well-being.