Pain specialists experience high incidence of the three essential indicators of burnout, including emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and low personal accomplishments, according to a recent report in Anesthesiology News.
Along with his colleagues, Henry Kroll, MD, vice chairman of anesthesiology at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, surveyed members of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians to investigate the relationship between the demographic and psychosocial characteristics of the job that predict burnout. The survey included the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey and a job content questionnaire.
According to Dr. Kroll, "Most of the adverse reactions of physiological strain occur when the psychological demands are high, the workers' decisional latitude is low and they have low social support."
The survey was completed by 266 pain specialists between June and November 2013. Some of the findings include the following:
- About 61 percent of respondents scored high in emotional exhaustion
- About 36 percent of respondents scored high in depersonalization
- About 43 percent of respondents had low scores for personal accomplishments
In comparison, only 12 percent of physicians had low personal accomplishment scores in a national sample of physicians, according to the study.
Dr. Kroll and his colleagues also performed a covariate analysis of possible predictors for each of these three elements of burnout. Job insecurity most significantly influenced burnout among pain physicians, according to the study, while predictability and a lack of decisional authority are also top factors contributing to high rates of burnout.