Burnout and Quality of Life among Active Member Physicians of the Medical Society of Sedgwick County

Abstract

Introduction. The medical literature suggests disturbingly high rates
of burnout among US physicians. The objective of this study was to
determine the rates of burnout, other forms of distress, and overall
quality of life among physicians in Sedgwick County.
Methods.xThe study involved a convenience sample of 197 physicians
who were active member physicians of the Medical Society of Sedgwick
County (MSSC). Between July and August 2018, we surveyed
872 physicians who were active members of the MSSC. The survey
assessed manifestations of burnout, symptoms of depression and suicidal
ideation, fatigue, and quality of life. The authors used standard
descriptive summary statistics, Mann-Whitney U test/independent
samples t-Test, Fisher’s exact test, and correlations to analyze the
data.
Results. The participation rate was 44.6%, with 49.5% of the
respondents reporting manifestations of burnout. Although 85% of
the participants rated their overall quality of life as good/very good,
45% screened positive for depression, 5% had thoughts of suicide
during the past year, and 44% reported excessive fatigue during the
past week. Those with manifestations of burnout were 2.13 (100%
vs 46.9%, p < 0.01) times more likely to report thoughts of suicidal
ideation, 2.43 (72.6% vs 30.4%; p < 0.001) times more likely to screen
positive for depression, and 1.89 (67.5% vs 35.8%; p < 0.001) times
more likely to have high degrees of fatigue. All of the participants who
had suicidal ideation reported manifestations of burnout.
Conclusions. Burnout was prevalent among active member physicians
of the MSSC. Burnout among the participants was associated
with symptoms of depression, fatigue, suicidal ideation, and intention
of leaving the medical profession via early retirement and/or career
change. Kans J Med 2019;12(2):33-39.