Burnout among GU oncologists and associated factors: BUCARE survey.

Abstract

293 Background: The growing number of patients with genitourinary (GU) cancers coupled with complexity of their treatments could create an increasing burden on GU oncologists. The Bureau for Cancer Research (BUCARE) assessed the prevalence of burnout among GU oncologists. Methods: This is a cross-sectional survey study conducted online among practicing surgical, medical and radiation oncologists from Kazakhstan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Israel. The primary outcome is burnout experience assessed through the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Association between respondents’ characteristics and presence of burnout was tested using X-test. Results: From April to August 2023,a total of 674 GU oncologists completed the questionnaire. The characteristics of respondents are 50% female, 45% medical oncologists, 35% surgeons, 15% radiation oncologists, working in outpatient (35%) and inpatient (65%) departments. Ninety-two percent of responders are interested in their daily work and 83.7% have a great interest in further professional development. However, 71.5% (482 of 674) had symptoms of burnout (high emotional exhaustion and/or depersonalization scores) and 60.8% of respondents describe readiness to seek psychological support. 172 (25.5%) and 401 (59.5%) participants reported that they do not have enough time to communicate with their family at all or partially, respectively. Significant drivers of burnout identified in multivariable regression modeling include ≥20 patients per day (odds ratio [OR] = 15.1; P<0.001) and ≥10 working hours per day (OR=10.4; P<0.001). Male gender (OR=0.1; P<0.001) and specialization in radiation oncology (OR=0.19; P<0.01) are associated with lower odds of burnout. Conclusions: Two-thirds of surveyed GU oncologists met predefined standardized criteria for burnout. Expanding the staff of GU oncologists and reducing the daily workload may improve the emotional state of these physicians. Special attention must be paid to the work environment of female providers as well as surgical and medical oncologists to decrease the rate of burnout.