Prevalence and Predictors of Burnout Among Resident Family Physicians

• Published in: Family medicine 2024-03, Vol.56 (3), p.148-155
• Main Authors: Doe, Sydney, Coutinho, Anastasia J, Weidner, Amanda, Cheng, Yue, Sanders, Kaplan, Bazemore, Andrew W, Phillips, Jr, Robert L, Peterson, Lars
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Burnout, Professional - epidemiology; Burnout, Professional - psychology; Empathy; Female; Humans; Internship and Residency; Original; Physicians, Family; Prevalence; Surveys and Questionnaires; United States - epidemiology
• ISSN: 0742-3225; 1938-3800; 1938-3800
• DOI: 10.22454/FamMed.2024.875388

Resident burnout may affect career choices and empathy. We examined predictors of burnout among family medicine residents. We used data from the 2019-2021 American Board of Family Medicine Initial Certification Questionnaire, which is required of graduating residents. Burnout was a binary variable defined as reporting callousness or emotional exhaustion once a week or more. We evaluated associations using bivariate and multilevel multivariable regression analyses. Among 11,570 residents, 36.4% (n=4,211) reported burnout. This prevalence did not significantly vary from 2019 to 2021 and was not significantly attributable to the residency program (ICC=0.07). Residents identifying as female reported higher rates of burnout (39.0% vs 33.4%, AOR=1.29 [95% CI 1.19-1.40]). Residents reporting Asian race (30.5%, AOR=0.78 [95% CI 0.70-0.86]) and Black race (32.3%, AOR=0.71 [95% CI 0.60-0.86]) reported lower odds of burnout than residents reporting White race (39.2%). We observed lower rates among international medical graduates (26.7% vs 40.3%, AOR=0.54 [95% CI 0.48-0.60]), those planning to provide outpatient continuity care (36.0% vs 38.7%, AOR=0.77 [95% CI 0.68-0.86]), and those at smaller programs (31.7% for 10 per class). Educational debt greater than $250,000 was associated with higher odds of burnout than no debt (AOR=1.29 [95% CI 1.15-1.45]). More than one-third of recent family medicine residents reported burnout. Odds of burnout varied significantly with resident and program characteristics.