Burnout reduces job satisfaction and results in poor patient outcomes, yet it was still understudied in the field of nephrology. Burnout was studied in a group of nephrologists to see how often it was and what factors contributed to it. Researchers conducted Cross-sectional research. Between April and August 2019, the nephrologists were contacted via the American Medical Association Physicians Masterfile, the National Kidney Foundation listserv, email, and social media. Demographics and practice characteristics were used as predictors. Burnout was defined as answering “once a week” or more on 1 or both of the 2 validated emotional weariness and depersonalization measures. The characteristics of the participants were tallied. X2 tests were used to compare responses. The odds ratios (ORs) of burnout for risk factors were calculated using multivariable logistic regression. Thematic analysis was done on the free-text responses. About half of the 457 respondents (n=225; 49.2%) were between the ages of 40 and 59, and the respondents were mostly men (n=296; 64.8%), US medical graduates (n=285; 62.4%), and academic practitioners (n=286; 62.6%). Burnout was indicated by 106 (23.2%) of the participants. The number of hours worked (n=27; 25.5%) and electronic health record requirements (n=26; 24.5%) were the most commonly stated primary drivers of burnout. After adjusting for age, sex, race, and international medical graduate status caring for less than or equal to 25 vs. 26-75 patients per week (OR, 0.34; 95% CI, 0.15-0.77), practicing in academic versus nonacademic settings (OR, 0.33; 95% CI, 0.21-0.54), and spending time on other responsibilities versus patient care (OR, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.17-0.61) were all independently associated with nearly 70% lower burnout was cited as a cause by disinterested health-care systems and unhappiness with remuneration in the free-text responses. Burnout was noted by nearly a quarter of the nephrologists in the sample. Future research should look into how the care setting, time spent on electronic medical records, and hours of clinical care contribute to burnout and other system-level drivers of burnout in the nephrology field.
Source:www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590059522000012
