Impacting pediatric cardiologist burnout: The role of targeted work unit interventions

Abstract

Introduction: Burnout among physicians may impact productivity and result in suboptimal patient care. Studies looking at burnout in a specific pediatric subspecialty are extremely limited. In a previous study, the authors evaluated the work–life balance and burnout among pediatric cardiology attending at our institution. This demonstrated early signs of reduced work engagement and possible burnout in the near future. To address this, the authors implemented a number of targeted interventions and conducted a follow-up survey to assess the effects of such changes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the current status of work–life balance and burnout among pediatric cardiologists at the author's institution compared to the general population and to the prior survey. Materials and Methods: Pediatric cardiology attending physicians were surveyed at the author's institution to assess their perception of burnout and work–life balance using the Maslach burnout inventory and the areas of work–life survey. Results: Forty-seven of the 52 pediatric cardiologists responded to the survey. They were divided into groups by their respective subspecialty: interventional/electrophysiology (n = 2), cardiac intensive care unit/inpatient (n = 9), noninvasive imaging (n = 6), outpatient (n = 22), and other (n = 8). When compared to the previous survey, the Maslach burnout inventory scores were significantly lower in the area of emotional exhaustion. However, most scores in the areas of work–life survey were lower than the prior survey. Conclusion: This follow-up study focusing on pediatric cardiology attending physicians demonstrated worsening burnout and signs of reduced work engagement compared to the previous survey 4 years ago. Interventions did not include bolstering our physician support systems and developing resiliency training for our physicians, which is an area the authors are going to focus on going forward. The following core competencies are addressed in this article: Medical knowledge, Practice-based learning, Systems-based practice.