Resident Mental Health and Burnout: Current Practices and Perspectives of Urology Program Directors

Abstract

ObjectiveTo understand perspectives of urology program directors (PDs) regarding the management and screening of resident mental health and burnout. MethodsAfter piloting and survey validation, an IRB-exempt 14 question survey was distributed to PDs of all 145 ACGME accredited urology residency programs. Statistical significance was determined using an alpha value of 0.05 and response plurality was determined by non-overlapping 95% confidence intervals. ResultsA total of 72 PDs completed the survey (response rate = 49.6%). The majority of PDs (59.7%) do not use standardized screening for resident burnout or mental health. A statistically significant proportion of PDs agreed to implementing periodic mental health (75.0%, 95% CI [65.0%-75.0%]) and burnout (87.6%, 95% CI [79.9%-95.1%]) screening. Female PDs were more likely to agree to implementing mental health screening compared to male PDs (female=94.4% vs male=68.5%; P =.03). If mental health screening was implemented and a resident tested positive, PDs were most concerned about harm to a patient (72.2%, 95% CI [61.9-82.6]) and implications of a positive screen on future licensing and practice (55.6%, 95% CI [44.1-67.0]). ConclusionAlthough the majority of urology PDs believe residents should be periodically screened for burnout and mental health, most do not currently screen their trainees. If mental health screening was implemented, PDs expressed concern about patient harm and challenges associated with future licensing. Our survey results suggest opportunities for improving management of resident burnout and mental health.