Looking Across the Drape: A Novel Quality Improvement Approach to Understanding Surgeon and Anesthesiologist Burnout.

Objective: To identify well-being threats for surgeons and anesthesiologists and develop interventions using the quality of life improvement (QOLI) approach.

Background: Developing feasible perioperative well-being interventions requires identifying shared and specialty-specific well-being needs. The QOLI framework integrates human-centered design, implementation science, and quality improvement to address well-being needs.

Methods: Anesthesia and surgery faculty in 8 perioperative departments at an academic medical center completed cross-sectional surveys containing validated measures of well-being and workplace satisfaction, and open-ended questions about professional motivations, pain points, strategies for improvement, and well-being priorities. Using template analysis, we analyzed open-ended survey data and presented resulting themes at a joint-specialty town hall for live voting to identify well-being priorities.

Results: One hundred four perioperative faculty completed the survey. Across specialties, higher Mental Health Continuum-Short Form scores (representative of individual global well-being) were associated with higher satisfaction with workplace control, values, decision latitude, and social support. Anesthesiologists reported lower satisfaction and control than surgeons across multiple domains. Template analysis yielded 5 areas for intervention: (1) work culture, (2) work environment/resources, (3) sources of fulfillment, (4) work/life harmony, and (5) financial compensation. Surgeons and anesthesiologists both prioritized high-quality patient care but differed in their other top priorities. The most frequently cited well-being threats for surgeons were operating room inefficiencies/delays and excessive workload, whereas anesthesiologists cited understaffing and unpredictable work hours.

Conclusions: Surgeons and anesthesiologists share many needs and priorities, with pain points that are often negatively synergistic. Applying the QOLI approach across specialties allows for well-being interventions that honor complexity and promote the development of feasible solutions.