Ohio Physicians’ Retrospective Pre-Post COVID-19 Pandemic Reports of Burnout and Well-Being

Abstract

This cross-sectional, retrospective, pre-post repeated measures study aimed to describe Ohio physicians’ burnout and mental health experiences as perceived prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. A one-time online survey was completed by 1,613 physicians registered with the State Medical Board of Ohio (SMBO). Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to assess differences between physicians’ self-reports of burnout and mental health prior to and during the pandemic. Mann-Whitney U tests examined response differences between physicians and residents. Data revealed statistically significant differences between physicians’ pre-pandemic and pandemic experiences for all measures of burnout and mental health (p < 0.001) with moderate effect sizes for feeling emotionally drained from work (Z = −16.71, r = 0.43); feeling down, depressed, or hopeless (Z = −18.09, r = 0.46); feeling less accomplished (Z = −11.03, r = 0.29); and caring less about what happens to patients (Z = −12.04, r = 0.31). Small effect sizes were found for thoughts of suicide and concerns about one’s substance use. Additionally, resident physicians were more likely than physicians to report many burnout and mental health concerns prior to and during the pandemic, although these effect sizes were small. These findings can inform stakeholders’ efforts toward the prevention and reduction of physician burnout and improvement of well-being.