Physician burnout in ophthalmology: U.S. survey

Abstract

Methods: A survey was distributed through email listservs to several national ophthalmology societies. Participants completed a modified Mini Z Burnout Survey, a 10-item questionnaire measured in 5-point Likert scales, followed by demographic questions. The Mini Z Burnout survey assessed 3 main outcomes: stress, burnout, and work satisfaction. The percentage of subgroups experiencing burnout were presented and comparisons made with odds ratios from logistic regression modeling. Results:Of the 592 ophthalmologists responding to the survey, 37.8% (224) self-reported symptoms of burnout with a low of 30.8% (12/39) for vitreoretinal specialists to a high of 45.4% (30/66) for uveitis specialists. Most of those reporting burnout were categorized as mild (65.2% [146/224]), followed by moderate (29.5% [66/224]) and severe (5.4% [12/224]). Women had almost twice the odds of reporting burnout (odds ratio [OR] = 1.9 [95% CI: 1.3-2.7]; P = .0005). Physicians employed in academic (OR = 2.0 [95% CI: 1.2-3.2]; P = 0.007) and hospital facilities (OR = 2.4 [95% CI: 1.3-4.6]; P = .008) reported higher rates of burnout compared with those in large private groups. Burnout was associated with selfreported low work control, insufficient time for documentation, and misalignment with departmental leaders (P < .0001).Conclusions: Ophthalmologists exhibited a high degree of selfreported burnout in the U.S. This study highlights sex, employment autonomy, and practice type as major factors associated with burnout.

Sex Disparities in Ophthalmology From Training Through Practice

“…Of 4077 retrieved studies, we reviewed 154 full-text articles, with 91 eligible studies published between 1995 and 2022 (Figure). Most studies (57 [62.6%]) were published in or after 2018 (eTable 1 in the Supplement).…”

“…Most studies (57 [62.6%]) were published in or after 2018 (eTable 1 in the Supplement). Eighty-seven studies were cross-sectional, and 4 studies were cohort. In the risk of bias assessment, 12 had low risk of bias (good), 68 were moderate (fair), and 11 were high (poor) (eTables 2 and 3 in the Supplement).…”

“…22,23 In an early 2020 survey, female ophthalmologists had almost twice the odds of reporting burnout (odds ratio, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.3-2.7; P <.001) and were more likely to report feeling high workrelated stress (125 of 199 [62.8%] vs 168 of 342 [49.1%]; P = .002). 33…”

Gender disparities in cataract and refractive surgery

“…12,13 This syndrome has been associated with higher rates of burnout, and indeed, a survey designed to quantify burnout among ophthalmologists in the U.S. and identify related risk factors showed that female ophthalmologists are nearly twice as likely to self-report burnout compared with men. 14…”

“…12,13 This syndrome has been associated with higher rates of burnout, and indeed, a survey designed to quantify burnout among ophthalmologists in the U.S. and identify related risk factors showed that female ophthalmologists are nearly twice as likely to self-report burnout compared with men. 14 A discussion on the root causes of the mid-career dropout phenomenon related to women in medicine and on the other aforementioned gender disparities specifically in the area of cataract and refractive surgery is beyond the scope of this text because it would likely involve explicit and implicit bias and cultural factors, among others. It seems it will take many years for the incoming trainees to shift the balance as women climb the career ladder.…”