S1274 A National Survey of Burnout Among Gastroenterology Fellows in the United States

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: In a national survey of practicing gastroenterologists, burnout was reported in nearly half of the respondents. However, the prevalence of burnout in gastroenterology (GI) fellows in the United States (US) is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the burnout prevalence in GI fellows and examine respondent identified factors that were reported to exacerbate and mitigate burnout. METHODS: A survey to assess prevalence and risk factors for burnout was sent by email to all trainee members of the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG). This survey was reviewed and approved reviewed and approved by the subgroups of the ACG committees on Professionalism and Training, as well as the Board of Trustees. All US GI fellows currently enrolled in an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education accredited GI fellowship program, as well fourth-year subspecialty fellowships were eligible to participate. Burnout rate was assessed using a single item measure, consisting of 5 choices, that has been well-validated against the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). In order to provide pilot data for further exploration, respondents were also asked to select factors/activities from a given list that exacerbate and mitigate burnout in their personal experience. RESULTS: A total of 323 out of 1240 (26%) GI fellows responded to the survey. There were 27.6% first year, 34.1% second year, 32.9% third year and 5.4% subspecialty GI fellows in the cohort, and 107 were women (33.2%). Average age was 32.5 years (SD: ± 2.7). Burnout was reported by 42.7% (138/323) of GI fellows [Figure 1]. There was a trend towards significance for the difference in prevalence of burnout across gender [males (39.3%) vs females (49.5%), P = 0.08]. Although there was a higher burnout rate for fellows with children < 18 years of age versus those without, the difference did not reach statistical significance (48% vs 40.4%, P = 0.21). There was no difference for fellows in different years of training. Factors identified by respondents that can exacerbate or mitigate burnout in their personal experience are summarized in Figures 2 and 3. CONCLUSION: Nearly half of GI fellows report symptoms of burnout. Our pilot data examining exacerbating and mitigating factors can be used to design targeted interventions to help reduce burnout rates in GI fellows.Figure 1.: Fellows responses to the single-item burnout survey (respondents chose single answer that best described their feelings).Figure 2.: Factors / Activities that were reported by GI fellows to exacerbate burnout in their own personal experience (n = 323).Figure 3.: Factors / Activities that were reported by GI fellows to mitigate burnout in their own personal experience (n = 323).