Primary care provider burnout rate low in small practices

(HealthDay)—Provider-reported rates of burnout may be lower in small independent primary care practices than in larger practices, according to a study published in the July-August issue of the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine.

Batel Blechter, from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and colleagues analyzed data collected from 235 providers practicing in 174 small independent primary care practices in New York City.

The researchers found that the rate of provider-reported burnout was 13.5 percent. Higher adaptive reserve scores were associated with lower odds of burnout (odds ratio, 0.12) in bivariate logistic regression analysis. The burnout rate was lower than that in past surveys focusing mostly on larger practices.

"The independence and autonomy providers have in these small practices may provide some protection against symptoms of burnout," the authors write. "In addition, the relationship between adaptive reserve and lower rates of burnout point toward potential interventions for reducing burnout that include strengthening primary care practices' learning and development capacity."

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