Burnout and depression among Canadian emergency physicians.

Abstract

Burnout is a work-related syndrome involving emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a sense of reduced personal accomplishment 1 In this issue of CJEM, Lim et al 2 published a landmark study reporting burnout (as measured by the 22-item Maslach Inventory), depression (measured by PHQ-9), and suicidal thoughts among Canadian emergency physicians in 2019 For comparison, the Canadian Medical Association 2018 member survey (2,947 participants) reported a 30% burnout rate, 34% depression rate, and 19% of participants had experienced suicidal ideation 3 Medscape surveyed 15,000 U S physicians reporting an overall burnout rate of 42% 4 A study on 1,522 U S EM residents reported burnout rates of 76% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 74% to 78%) 5 There could be several explanations why Lim and colleagues2 found such high rates of burnout Both individual-focused and organizational interventions can reduce physician burnout 6 In this same issue of CJEM, Maniuk et al 7 published an expert-derived emergency department toolkit to promote wellness, describing six evidence-based techniques to promote well-being: mindfulness meditation, exercising, limiting social media, checking in regularly with loved ones, experimenting with new recipes, and engaging in mental health resources