Toward Useful Interventions for Burnout in Academic Medical Faculty: The Case for Unit-Specific Approaches

Abstract

Despite a plethora of research on the topic of physician burnout, drivers and interventions are poorly understood. This study aimed to create a holistic picture of burnout drivers in academic medical faculty within a single department of a large, research university to better inform organization-sponsored interventions. The author used interpretive phenomenological analysis and the Job Demands-Resources model in this qualitative study. Full-time academic medical faculty completed two semistructured interviews approximately 6 months apart. Transcripts were coded using deductive and inductive coding. Twenty-two faculty members participated in both interviews. Factors affecting burnout depended on individual and unit-level context, but interpersonal factors such as relationships with colleagues and interaction with learners created meaning for faculty or drove intention to leave the university. All participants reported personal coping mechanisms, and none participated in organization-sponsored, individual-level interventions. In striving for meaningful burnout interventions, organizations should promote interpersonal factors (relationships with colleagues and meaningful interaction with learners) and provide protected time for faculty for their own personal coping. Research has suggested moving toward a universal burnout driver and intervention plan, but these data point toward the need for unit-specific study and interventions.