The growing issue of burnout in radiology - a survey-based evaluation of driving factors and potential impacts in pediatric radiologists

State of original pediatric radiology research in major radiology journals other than Pediatric Radiology

BACKGROUND

Understanding distribution of published pediatric imaging research in radiology journals is relevant to understanding the state of research in the field.

OBJECTIVE

To understand the current state of published original pediatric imaging research in major clinical radiology journals other than Pediatric Radiology.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We reviewed clinical imaging journals from among the top 20 radiology journals according to the Google Scholar h5-index as of June 2024. Content pages were reviewed for the years 2019-2023 to identify pediatric original research. Study titles were reviewed to subclassify by pediatric subspecialty. The number of citations for each pediatric article and for all articles in the journal was documented, and a citation to article ratio was calculated. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to assess differences in citation to article ratio.

RESULTS

Nine journals and 636 pediatric articles were included. The fraction of pediatric studies in each journal ranged from 0.9% (12/1,310) to 15.3% (244/1,594) (median 2.2% [88/3,983]). Pediatric neuroimaging studies were the most common (46.4% [295/636] of all pediatric studies, 23.2% [91/392] of pediatric studies in journals other than American Journal of Neuroradiology). The citation to article ratio for pediatric articles ranged from 3.3 to 25.2 across journals. Overall, the citation to article ratio for pediatric studies was not significantly different from non-pediatric studies (P=0.12).

CONCLUSION

Pediatric research makes up a small fraction of original research in major clinical radiology journals, with neuroimaging reflecting the bulk of published work. The average number of citations per pediatric article is similar to that of non-pediatric articles.

Should I Stay, or Should I Go? Early Phase Instrument Development of Workforce Movement-A Pilot Study with Breast Radiologists

OBJECTIVE

The goal of this study was to develop a psychometrically valid survey on workplace satisfaction and examine predictors of workforce movement among breast radiologists.

METHODS

Actively practicing members of the Society of Breast Imaging were invited to complete a survey on workplace satisfaction. Radiologists also indicated whether they had recently left their practice or were thinking of leaving their practice.

RESULTS

In total, 228 breast radiologists provided valid responses (8.7% response rate); 45% were thinking of leaving or had left their practice. Factor analysis yielded five factors, and discriminant function analysis found six main aspects associated with workforce movement in breast radiologists: (1) not enough work-life balance; (2) salary too low; (3) not feeling valued; (4) wanting a different challenge and/or more growth opportunity; (5) safety concerns; and (6) not feeling respected by physician leadership.

CONCLUSIONS

Pending further validation in larger and different cohorts, the survey created here can be administered by radiology practices to predict when breast radiologists are vulnerable to quitting. Atlhough this measure was designed for breast radiologists specifically, it could be adapted for other subspecialties.

Special Issue: Advanced Research in Pediatric Radiology and Nuclear Medicine

The importance of pediatric radiology and nuclear medicine is increasing [...].

Developing a Late-Career Roadmap to Continued Career Engagement

Professional development needs span the entirety of a radiologist's career. Great strides have been made in the creation of an infrastructure for early career development. Work is ongoing to develop such resources for mid-career radiologists, given the recent recognition of the needs of this group. Unfortunately, even less attention has been paid to late-career radiologist development needs as a bridge to retirement. As part of the Career Conversations series, this article will highlight the needs and currently available resources for this group.

Burnout syndrome, doctor-patient relationship and family support of pediatric medical staff during a COVID-19 Local outbreak in Shanghai China: A cross-sectional survey study

OBJECTIVES

To explore burnout syndrome (BOS) incidence, doctor-patient relationship, and family support on pediatric medical staff in Shanghai comprehensive hospitals during a COVID-19 local outbreak.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey of pediatric medical staff from 7 comprehensive hospitals across Shanghai was conducted from March to July 2022. The survey included BOS, doctor-patient relationships, family support, and the related factors of COVID-19. The T-test, variance, the LSD-t test, Pearson's r correlation coefficient, and multiple regression analyses examined the data.

RESULTS

Using Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS), 81.67% of pediatric medical staff had moderate BOS, and 13.75% were severe. The difficult doctor-patient relationship was positively correlated with emotional exhaustion(EE), cynicism(Cy), and negatively with personal accomplishment(PA). When medical staff need help, the greater the support provided by the family, the lower the EE and CY, and the higher the PA.

CONCLUSION

"In our study, the pediatric medical staff in Shanghai comprehensive hospitals had significant BOS during a COVID-19 local outbreak." We provided the potential steps that can be taken to reduce the increasing rate of BOS in pandemics. These measures include increased job satisfaction, psychological support, maintaining good health, increased salary, lower intent to leave the profession, regularly carrying out COVID-19 prevention training, improving doctor-patient relations, and strengthening family support.

Overcoming Midcareer Malaise: The Value of Personal Rediscovery

Midcareer faculty development is critical for continued career vitality and retention. However, limited formal programming exists to meet the needs of this group, which is at risk of experiencing a lack of career self-identity and a sense of being stuck. These feelings may lead radiologists to consider a change in practice type or location or even to exit the radiologist workforce. This viewpoint describes stressors and potential solutions to assist midcareer radiologists in regaining workplace engagement.

Deep Learning System Boosts Radiologist Detection of Intracranial Hemorrhage

BACKGROUND

Intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) requires emergent medical treatment for positive outcomes. While previous artificial intelligence (AI) solutions achieved rapid diagnostics, none were shown to improve the performance of radiologists in detecting ICHs. Here, we show that the Caire ICH artificial intelligence system enhances a radiologist's ICH diagnosis performance.

METHODS

A dataset of non-contrast-enhanced axial cranial computed tomography (CT) scans (n=532) were labeled for the presence or absence of an ICH. If an ICH was detected, its ICH subtype was identified. After a washout period, the three radiologists reviewed the same dataset with the assistance of the Caire ICH system. Performance was measured with respect to reader agreement, accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity when compared to the ground truth, defined as reader consensus.

RESULTS

Caire ICH improved the inter-reader agreement on average by 5.76% in a dataset with an ICH prevalence of 74.3%. Further, radiologists using Caire ICH detected an average of 18 more ICHs and significantly increased their accuracy by 6.15%, their sensitivity by 4.6%, and their specificity by 10.62%. The Caire ICH system also improved the radiologist's ability to accurately identify the ICH subtypes present.

CONCLUSION

The Caire ICH device significantly improves the performance of a cohort of radiologists. Such a device has the potential to be a tool that can improve patient outcomes and reduce misdiagnosis of ICH.

Leveraging diversity, equity and inclusion for promoting wellness in the radiology workplace

Over the last decade, health care professionals in the field of radiology have experienced increasing rates of burnout. A study in 2017 showed high prevalence of burnout in pediatric radiology, and other studies have identified several drivers for burnout. An important factor in promoting wellness and mitigating burnout is leveraging diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace. This manuscript highlights the importance of diversity in high-functioning teams as well as the critical role of equity and inclusion in the workplace to help create an organization where people belong and can effectively succeed.

It Takes a Village: A Multimodal Approach to Addressing Radiologist Burnout

Burnout is a significant issue confronting the medical profession, to which radiology is no exception. Addressing burnout demands a full-spectrum response, in keeping with its complexity, prevalence, and significance. This manuscript brings together key techniques at the individual, peer, and institutional levels to offer a multifaceted approach to ameliorating radiologist burnout. Such an approach would begin by equipping physicians with the skillset necessary to identify signs of burnout in themselves and others. Institutions can work to validate the radiologists they employ and work toward mitigating the impact of occupational stressors. Lastly, engaging in conversations about burnout throughout the course of one's medical career can affect a sea change in the way burnout is envisioned, and treated.

[Artificial intelligence in breast imaging : Areas of application from a clinical perspective]

Klinisches/methodisches Problem

Bei der Mammadiagnostik gilt es, klinische sowie multimodal bildgebende Informationen mit perkutanen und operativen Eingriffen zu koordinieren. Aus dieser Komplexität entsteht eine Reihe von Problemen: übersehene Karzinome, Überdiagnose, falsch-positive Befunde, unnötige weiterführende Bildgebung, Biopsien und Operationen.

Radiologische Standardverfahren

Folgende Untersuchungsverfahren werden in der Mammadiagnostik eingesetzt: Röntgenmammographie, Tomosynthese, kontrastangehobene Mammographie, (multiparametrischer) Ultraschall, Magnetresonanztomographie, Computertomographie, nuklearmedizinische Verfahren sowie deren Hybridvarianten.

Methodische Innovationen

Künstliche Intelligenz (KI) verspricht Abhilfe bei praktisch allen Problemen der Mammadiagnostik. Potenziell lassen sich Fehlbefunde vermeiden, bildgebende Verfahren effizienter einsetzen und möglicherweise auch biologische Phänotypen von Mammakarzinomen definieren.

Leistungsfähigkeit

Auf KI basierende Software wird für zahlreiche Anwendungen entwickelt. Am weitesten fortgeschritten sind Systeme für das Screening mittels Mammographie. Probleme sind monozentrische sowie kurzfristig am finanziellen Erfolg orientierte Ansätze.

Bewertung

Künstliche Intelligenz (KI) verspricht eine Verbesserung der Mammadiagnostik. Durch die Vereinfachung von Abläufen, die Reduktion monotoner und ergebnisloser Tätigkeiten und den Hinweis auf mögliche Fehler ist eine Beschleunigung von dann weitgehend fehlerfreien Abläufen denkbar.

Empfehlung für die Praxis

In diesem Beitrag werden die Anforderungen der Mammadiagnostik und mögliche Einsatzgebiete der der KI beleuchtet. Je nach Definition gibt es bereits praktisch anwendbare Softwaretools für die Mammadiagnostik. Globale Lösungen stehen allerdings noch aus.

Evaluation of stress and anxiety caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in pediatric radiology

BACKGROUND

Work-related stress and burnout were documented to be high among pediatric radiologists prior to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. New challenges arose from the COVID-19 pandemic, potentially introducing new stressors and anxieties.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate potential sources of stress and anxiety for pediatric radiology faculty during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We conducted a survey of attending physician members of the Society for Pediatric Radiology in North America from April 27, 2020, to May 22, 2020. The response rate was 21% (251/1,206). Survey questions included demographic information and questions regarding working remotely, personal protective equipment, redeployment, personal wellness, wellness resources and financial concerns. A psychometrician reviewed the questions to ensure minimal risk of misinterpretation.

RESULTS

Median age of respondents was 48 years (range 33-70 years) with median number of years in practice of 14 (range 1-45 years). Fifty-three percent of respondents were women and 46% were men. Because of an increase in remote work, 69% of respondents endorsed feeling more isolated from a lack of regular interaction with colleagues. Fifty-three percent of respondents indicated that it is challenging to work remotely while overseeing home schooling for children. In comparison to men, women reported overall higher work-related stress and anxiety (P=0.02), higher feelings of guilt from radiology staff (i.e. technologists and nurses) being more exposed to COVID-19 (P=0.02) and higher levels of stress providing for dependents (P=0.04). Most respondents thought that departmental leadership was effective and respondents were not concerned about meeting financial obligations or job loss.

CONCLUSION

The early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic caused additional stress and anxiety for pediatric radiology faculty and disproportionally affected women. Given the continuously evolving state of the COVID-19 pandemic, these results could aid in planning and implementation of future strategies to combat burnout in radiology. Specific attention should be directed to different stressors experienced by female versus male radiologists, especially in regard to dependent care.