Perceived Burnout from Online Rating Websites May be More Significant in Younger Physicians

Abstract

Previous research demonstrated that the majority of radiation oncologists perceive online patient reviews to contribute to burnout. The purpose of this study was to analyze if demographic features of physicians were associated with the perception that online reviews contribute to burnout. An international survey was delivered to practicing radiation oncologists who are members of the American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). The survey evaluated physicians’ perceptions of these rating websites. The association of gender or physician age with burnout was assessed using Fisher's Exact tests and multiple linear regressions. Criteria for statistical significance was p < 0.05. This study was approved by the IRB. A total of 445 survey responses were collected. Two-hundred (45%) respondents agreed that online physician rating websites contribute to burnout, 200 (45%) respondents were neutral, and 45 (10%) respondents disagreed. Of all respondents, 313 were men, 130 were women, and 2 were other gender. Both men and women were more likely to agree than disagree that online reviews contribute to burnout. Forty-one percent of men agreed and 12% disagreed, whereas 55% of women agreed and 7% disagreed (p = 0.03); these findings also indicate that men were more likely to be neutral than women. Of all respondents who agreed online reviews contribute to burnout, 84 (42.0%) were between the ages of 35 and 50 years, 60 (30.0%) were between the ages of 50 and 60 years, and 56 (28.0%) were above the age of 60 years. Of all respondents who disagreed that online reviews contribute to burnout, 14 (31.1%) were between the ages of 35 and 50 years, 11 (24.4%) were between the ages of 50 and 60 years, and 20 (44.4%) were above the age of 60 years. There was a linear trend in the relationship of ordinal burnout categories and age categories (p = 0.033). The relationship between perceived burnout and age did not differ by gender (p = 0.53), although there was some evidence that gender confounds the relationship of age with burnout. Younger physicians and women are more likely to perceive that online patient reviews contribute to burnout than older physicians and men. This suggests that online reviews may have an increasing effect on physician burnout in the future. Future research could investigate potential burnout secondary to online physician reviews and prevention strategies.