ACG: burnout reported by about half of gastroenterologists

(HealthDay)—Almost half of gastroenterologists report burnout, with lifestyle or work-life balance factors frequently associated with burnout, according to a study presented at the World Congress of Gastroenterology, being held in partnership with the American College of Gastroenterology's annual scientific meeting and postgraduate course Oct. 13 to 18 in Orlando, Florida.

Carol A. Burke, M.D., from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Ohio, and colleagues mailed a 60-item survey to ACG members in 2014-2015 to examine the prevalence of burnout. A total of 749 respondents completed all Maslach Burnout Inventory questions and were included in the analysis.

The researchers found that 49 percent of respondents had burnout. Practice and personal factors associated with burnout included female gender, younger age, being childless or having younger children, spending more hours on domestic chores and child care, having a spouse who spent more hours at work, viewing the spousal relationship as neutral or dissatisfying, spending more hours of patient-related work at home, and eating breakfast and lunch on fewer than 50 percent of work days. In addition, reporting electronic medical records as unfriendly and contemplation of early retirement or leaving the practice within two years were correlated with burnout. A total of 58.5 percent of respondents reported that they would use resources to promote professional and personal well-being.

"Now is the critical time to address burnout in our specialty in order to preserve the future pipeline of gastroenterologists," Burke said in a statement.

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