Physician burnout varies by specialty

A study published in JAMA looked at burnout of U.S. physicians by specialty. Emergency medicine, general internal medicine, neurology, and family medicine had the highest rates of burnout. The specialties with the lowest rates of burnout were pathology, dermatology, general pediatrics, and preventive medicine (including occupational health and environmental medicine). Burnout was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), a 22-item questionnaire. The MBI has 3 subscales to evaluate each domain of burnout: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and low personal accomplishment.

Physicians who participated in the study were also asked about work-life balance by agreeing/disagreeing with the question, “My work schedule leaves me enough time for my personal/family life.” Physicians practicing dermatology, general pediatrics, and preventive medicine (including occupational health and environmental medicine) had the highest rated satisfaction with work-life balance, whereas physicians practicing general surgery, general surgery subspecialties, and obstetrics/gynecology had the lowest rates.

Source: JAMA