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. This study is the first of its kind to measure the mental health and well-being of Canadian emergency physicians. The investigators are to be praised for their efforts to include Canadian emergency physicians of all backgrounds, with equitable representation among academic and community hospitals, genders, age groups, and training. Among the 384 participants, Lim et al. 2 reported staggering rates of burnout, with 86% meeting at least one criterion for burnout (81% registering high depersonalization scores and 69% with high emotional exhaustion scores). Fourteen percent of participants had considered suicide during their career. Forty-two percent of participants experienced depression (ranging from mild to severe). Being burned out was associated with being between ages 30 and 39 (compared with 40-49) and training certified through the Canadian College of Family Physicians-Emergency Medicine (CCFP-EM) program compared with Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada (FRCP-EM) program. Even more concerning was the very strong association between any degree of depression and burnout, indicating that Canadian emergency physicians who suffer depression also have to manage burnout. These findings are alarming. 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

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