National Survey of Burnout and Distress Among Cardiothoracic Surgery Trainees.
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ABSTRACT: Background
Burnout has been linked to poor job satisfaction and increased medical errors, and is prevalent among health care professionals. We sought to characterize burnout and distress among US cardiothoracic surgery (CTS) trainees.Methods
A 19-question survey was sent to CTS trainees in collaboration with the Thoracic Surgery Residents Association. We queried sociodemographic variables, balance/quality of life, and indicators of depression and regret. We included questions along the emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment subscales of the Maslach Burnout Inventory.Results
The survey was sent to 531 CTS trainees across 76 institutions and there were 108 responses (20.3%). More than 50% of respondents expressed dissatisfaction with balance in their professional life and more than 40% screened positively for signs of depression. More than 25% of respondents (n = 28) would not complete CTS training again, given a choice. More than half met criteria for burnout on emotional exhaustion and depersonalization subscales. The CTS residents with children were more likely to express regret toward pursuing CTS training. A greater proportion of women than men reported poor levels of balance/quality of life during training as measured by missed health appointments, negative impact on relationships, and self-perception. Similarly, those in the final 3 years of training were more likely to report poor levels of balance/quality of life.Conclusions
High rates of burnout, regret, and depression are present among US CTS trainees. Efforts to promote trainee well-being and implement interventions that support those at high risk for burnout are warranted, to benefit trainees as well as the patients they serve.
SUBMITTER: Chow OS
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7455231 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:BackgroundIncreasingly, medical school policies limit pharmaceutical representatives' access to students and gifts from drugmakers, but little is known about how these policies affect student attitudes toward industry.ObjectiveTo assess interactions between trainees and the pharmaceutical industry, and to determine whether learning environment characteristics influence students' practices and attitudes.Design, participantsWe conducted a cross-sectional survey with a nationally-representative sample of first- and fourth-year medical students and third-year residents, stratified by medical school, including ? 14 randomly selected trainees at each level per school.Main measuresWe measured frequency of industry interactions and attitudes regarding how such interactions affect medical training and the profession. Chi-squared tests assessed bivariate linear trend, and hierarchical logistic regression models were fitted to assess associations between trainees' attitudes and their schools' National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding levels and American Medical Student Association (AMSA) PharmFree Scorecard grades reflecting industry-related conflict of interest policies.Key resultsAmong 1,610 student (49.3 % response rate) and 739 resident (43.1 %) respondents, industry-sponsored gifts were common, rising from 33.0 % (first-year students) to 56.8 % (fourth-year students) and 54 % (residents) (p?<?0.001). These gifts included meals outside the hospital (reported by 5 % first-year students, 13.4 % fourth-year students, 27.5 % residents (p?<?0.001)) and free drug samples (reported by 7.4 % first-year students, 14.1 % fourth-year students, 14.3 % residents (p?<?0.001)). The perception that industry interactions lead to bias was prevalent, but the belief that physicians receive valuable education through these interactions increased (64.1 % to 67.5 % to 79.8 %, p?<?0.001). Students in schools receiving more NIH funding reported industry gifts less often (OR?=?0.51, 95 % CI: 0.38-0.68, p?<?0.001), but the strength of institutional conflict of interest policies was not associated with this variable.ConclusionsDespite recent policy changes, a substantial number of trainees continue to receive gifts from pharmaceutical representatives. We found no relation between these outcomes and a school's policies concerning interactions with industry.
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Project description:ObjectiveTo assess the attitudes and beliefs of faculty dermatologists regarding perceived characteristics of millennial trainees and colleagues.Participants and methodsWe conducted a cross-sectional survey of dermatology physician-educators listed in the Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database from August 1, 2019, to October 31, 2019. This survey consisted of 26 items (5-point Likert scales) representing positive, negative, and neutral millennial stereotypes relevant to graduate medical education. Participants' responses were analyzed using the chi-squared goodness of fit test with dichotomized data.ResultsSeventy-six dermatology physician-educators participated in the national survey. A statistically significant response pattern was seen in 18 of 26 (69%) tested stereotypes. Positive judgments included denial of hesitations about working with millennials (P = .038) and agreement with the notions that millennials are technologically savvy (P < .001), socially just (P < .001), equally capable dermatologists as other generations (P < .001), enjoyable to work with (P < .001), easy to connect with interpersonally (P < .001), and promising future leaders of medicine (P = .039). Negative judgments included perceptions of the word millennial as a pejorative (P < .001) and of millennials being relatively entitled (P < .001), overly sensitive to feedback (P < .001), less polite (P < .001), and less hard-working (P < .001) compared with prior generations.ConclusionThis study represents the first national survey of the attitudes and perspectives of dermatology physician-educators regarding perceived characteristics of millennial trainees and colleagues. Our results suggest that dermatology faculty endorse various positive, negative, and neutral stereotypes regarding Generation Y. Early recognition of implicit biases can inform curricular design and prepare educators to address generational gaps in medical education.
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