Pediatrician Burnout Before and After the COVID-19 Pandemic
Objective: During the surge of the COVID-19 pandemic, burnout among physicians increased significantly. In the spring of 2023, the COVID national emergency was terminated in the U.S. To investigate whether provider burnout rates have returned to pre-pandemic levels, the current study compared dimens...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SAGE Publishing
2023-08-01
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| Series: | Journal of Primary Care & Community Health |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/21501319231194148 |
| _version_ | 1797740186762739712 |
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| author | Caroline A. Lucy Julie Wojtaszek Leah LaLonde Teryn P. Bruni Hannah L. Ham Eleah Sunde Blake Lancaster Alexandros Maragakis |
| author_facet | Caroline A. Lucy Julie Wojtaszek Leah LaLonde Teryn P. Bruni Hannah L. Ham Eleah Sunde Blake Lancaster Alexandros Maragakis |
| author_sort | Caroline A. Lucy |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objective: During the surge of the COVID-19 pandemic, burnout among physicians increased significantly. In the spring of 2023, the COVID national emergency was terminated in the U.S. To investigate whether provider burnout rates have returned to pre-pandemic levels, the current study compared dimensions of burnout among pediatricians pre- and post-pandemic. Method: As part of 2 separate behavioral health trainings held at a Midwest academic health center in 2019 and virtually in 2023, data on burnout was collected from 52 pediatricians pre-pandemic and 38 pediatricians post-pandemic. Participants completed an online survey during the trainings and responded to items reflecting 3 dimensions of burnout: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment. Results: There were no statistically significant differences in pre- and post-pandemic burnout amongst pediatricians in terms of total scores, number of pediatricians who met the clinical cutoff for each dimension, number of cutoffs met, or number of providers reporting elevated burnout on at least 1 dimension ( p > .05 for all comparisons). Participants were 1.77 times more likely to meet the cutoff for emotional exhaustion post-pandemic than pre-pandemic. Over half of providers met this cutoff post-pandemic, compared to only 35% pre-pandemic. Conclusions: While post-pandemic rates of burnout among pediatricians appear to be statistically similar to pre-pandemic levels, there appear to be clinically significant differences in emotional exhaustion between groups. With 63% of the post-pandemic group meeting the cutoff score for at least 1 dimension, it is imperative for the healthcare system to consider ways to mitigate burnout. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T14:08:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8f630a7d1757481e9c244710552d3c7e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2150-1327 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T14:08:51Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Primary Care & Community Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-8f630a7d1757481e9c244710552d3c7e2023-08-21T10:22:09ZengSAGE PublishingJournal of Primary Care & Community Health2150-13272023-08-011410.1177/21501319231194148Pediatrician Burnout Before and After the COVID-19 PandemicCaroline A. Lucy0Julie Wojtaszek1Leah LaLonde2Teryn P. Bruni3Hannah L. Ham4Eleah Sunde5Blake Lancaster6Alexandros Maragakis7Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI, USAEastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI, USAOregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR, USAAlgoma University, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, CanadaMichigan Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI, USAMichigan Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI, USAMichigan Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI, USADeree College, The American College of Greece, Athens, GreeceObjective: During the surge of the COVID-19 pandemic, burnout among physicians increased significantly. In the spring of 2023, the COVID national emergency was terminated in the U.S. To investigate whether provider burnout rates have returned to pre-pandemic levels, the current study compared dimensions of burnout among pediatricians pre- and post-pandemic. Method: As part of 2 separate behavioral health trainings held at a Midwest academic health center in 2019 and virtually in 2023, data on burnout was collected from 52 pediatricians pre-pandemic and 38 pediatricians post-pandemic. Participants completed an online survey during the trainings and responded to items reflecting 3 dimensions of burnout: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment. Results: There were no statistically significant differences in pre- and post-pandemic burnout amongst pediatricians in terms of total scores, number of pediatricians who met the clinical cutoff for each dimension, number of cutoffs met, or number of providers reporting elevated burnout on at least 1 dimension ( p > .05 for all comparisons). Participants were 1.77 times more likely to meet the cutoff for emotional exhaustion post-pandemic than pre-pandemic. Over half of providers met this cutoff post-pandemic, compared to only 35% pre-pandemic. Conclusions: While post-pandemic rates of burnout among pediatricians appear to be statistically similar to pre-pandemic levels, there appear to be clinically significant differences in emotional exhaustion between groups. With 63% of the post-pandemic group meeting the cutoff score for at least 1 dimension, it is imperative for the healthcare system to consider ways to mitigate burnout.https://doi.org/10.1177/21501319231194148 |
| spellingShingle | Caroline A. Lucy Julie Wojtaszek Leah LaLonde Teryn P. Bruni Hannah L. Ham Eleah Sunde Blake Lancaster Alexandros Maragakis Pediatrician Burnout Before and After the COVID-19 Pandemic Journal of Primary Care & Community Health |
| title | Pediatrician Burnout Before and After the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_full | Pediatrician Burnout Before and After the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_fullStr | Pediatrician Burnout Before and After the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_full_unstemmed | Pediatrician Burnout Before and After the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_short | Pediatrician Burnout Before and After the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_sort | pediatrician burnout before and after the covid 19 pandemic |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/21501319231194148 |
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