*EMBARGOED All research presented at the World Congress of Gastroenterology at ACG2017 is strictly embargoed until Monday, October 16, 2017, at 8:00 am EDT.
Oral 8 A National Survey of Burnout in Gastroenterologists
Author Insight from Carol A. Burke, MD, FACG, ACG President (2016-2017), Cleveland Clinic Foundation
What’s new here and important for clinicians?
Burnout (BO) is a prevalent epidemic in physicians of many specialties. Our study analyzed a variety of aspects of the professional practice of gastroenterologists and their lifestyle and how they were associated with the prevalence of BO in the first-known national cohort of gastroenterologists. We found nearly 50% of 1,021 practicing gastroenterologists have BO. We were surprised to find more lifestyle or work-life balance than practice-associated factors were associated with BO including being female, younger age, spending more hours at home on patient-related work, domestic chores and childcare, having younger children at home, and a spouse who spends more hours at work. Physicians who reported plans to retire early or leave their practice in the next two years had a 3.5-fold increased risk of BO. Work-related factors associated with BO included the perception that the electronic medical record system was not user-friendly and eating breakfast and lunch less than 50% of work days. 58.5% of respondents stated they would utilize resources to promote professional and personal well-being, career satisfaction, and work-life balance, including 76% of women and 55% of men. Now is the critical time to address BO in our specialty in order to preserve the future pipeline of gastroenterologists.
Author Contact
Carol A. Burke, MD, FACG, ACG President (2016-2017), Cleveland Clinic Foundation
BURKEC1@ccf.org
Additional Resources
- “Strategies to Combat Physician Burnout in Gastroenterology,” The American Journal of Gastroenterology, published online 8 August, 2017.
- The ACG Professionalism and Wellness Initiative
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