Burnout, work engagement and work hours - how physicians' decision to work less is associated with work-related factors

Career transition plans of veterinarians in clinical practice

Objective

Gain an understanding of the career transition plans of veterinarians in clinical practice.

Sample

Veterinary members of the Veterinary Information Network (VIN) working as small animal clinicians.

Procedures

An electronic survey distributed via the VIN data collection portal.

Results

A total of 1,256 responses from veterinarians in clinical practice were analyzed, with 61% indicating they plan to decrease their clinical work, and 31% to stop entirely within the next 5 years. The most common reasons for these choices were to have more free time for oneself and/or family/friends (76%), to maintain good health (59%), and feeling burned out (50%). Factors that might entice them to retain their current number of clinical hours included reduced workload or shorter hours (42%), financial incentivization (38%), and improved working conditions (26%). Concerns related to retirement were common with 47% of participants in our study reported feeling concerned about the loss of professional identity, 34% reported concern about reduced social connections, and 28% reported concern as to how they would fill their time.

Conclusions and clinical relevance

The reported desire to reduce/stop one's clinical work within the next 5 years by 42% of veterinarians ≤44 years of age, with burnout a primary predictor, offers insights into the necessity of change at the organizational, systemic (versus individual) level. The fact that many participants reported concerns related to retirement and 32% reported that they did not have adequate retirement information suggests a need for supportive services to help ensure a successful transition.

Prevalence of burnout and associated factors among midwives, 2023: institution-based cross-sectional study

Background

One of the main characteristics of the mental health condition known as burnout syndrome is an overwhelming feeling of physical and emotional tiredness, particularly with regard to one's work. Midwives are the group most prone to burnout because they work in emergency situations to save two lives at a time, share the stress of laboring women, and put in extra hours without enough payment. Besides this, there is little information on burnout among Ethiopian midwives.

Objectives

To assess burnout and associated factors among midwives working in public health facilities in West Arsi Zone, Ethiopia.

Methods and materials

A census method cross-sectional study was conducted among all 467 midwives working in public health facilities found in the West Arsi Zone, Ethiopia, from September 1 and 30, 2023. A pretested, validated face-to-face interviewer-administered structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Then, binary logistic regression was used for analysis. Bi-variable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were employed to identify factors associated with burnout. The level of statistical significance was declared at p < 0.05 with a 95% CI.

Results

Overall, the prevalence of burnout among midwives was 47.10% (95% CI: 42.55, 51.75%). Marital status not in union 2.03 (95% CI: 1.32-3.13), working more than 40 h per week 2.00 (95% CI: 1.29-3.08), conflict with their metron 2.33 (95% CI: 1.54-3.54), not satisfied with their current job 2.39 (95% CI: 1.56-3.66) and having depression symptoms 1.71 (95% CI: 1.06-2.74) were factors significantly associated with burnout.

Conclusion

This study found that in the study area, almost half of the midwives experienced burnout. Thus, it is recommended that midwives should develop respectful interactions with both their mentors and colleagues. Secondly, we suggest that zonal health offices set up systems that by shortening working hours and boost job satisfaction by creating conducive working environment, provide opportunities for career advancement and increase employee engagement.

Burnout among family medicine residents: a cross-sectional nationwide study

BACKGROUND

In addition to pressures typical of other medical professions, family physicians face additional challenges such as building long-term relationships with patients, dealing with patients' social problems, and working at a high level of uncertainty. We aimed to assess the rate of burnout and factors associated with it among family medicine residents throughout Israel.

METHODS

A cross sectional study based on a self-administered questionnaire.

RESULTS

Ninety family medicine residents throughout Israel completed the questionnaire. The rate of clinically significant burnout, assessed by the composite Shirom-Melamed Burnout Questionnaire score, was 14.4%. In univariate analyses several personal and professional characteristics, as well as all tested psychological characteristics, showed significant associations with burnout. However, in the multivariable logistic regression only psychological work-related characteristics (work engagement, psychological flexibility (reverse scoring), and perceived work-related stress) were significantly associated with burnout at OR (95% CI) = 0.23 (0.06-0.60), 1.31 (1.10-1.71), and 1.16 (1.05-3.749), respectively.

CONCLUSION

The integration of burnout prevention programs into academic courses during residency could explain the relatively low prevalence of burnout among family medicine residents in this study. Given the strong association of burnout with psychological characteristics, further investment in burnout prevention through targeted structured courses for residents should be encouraged.

Association between Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Chronic Kidney Disease According to Sex, Long Working Hours: The Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2019-2020)

This study aimed to investigate whether obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with an increased risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and to perform subgroup analysis by sex and working hours. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 8157 subjects who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). The adults completed the STOP-BANG score to measure their risk of OSA, and blood and urine samples were collected to ascertain the severity of CKD based on the estimated glomerular filtration rate and urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio. Multivariate logistic regression was used for complex sample analysis. After fully adjusting for the confounding variables, the high-risk OSA group showed a significantly higher risk of developing albuminuria and CKD than the low-risk group, particularly among men. Odds ratio (OR) 1.72, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.13-2.6 and (OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.14-2.45), respectively. Additionally, men who worked for 40 h/week showed a significant association between OSA, CKD, and albuminuria. This study supports the link between OSA and the risk of kidney disease, especially among men and those who work long hours. Screening and treating OSA may be a crucial strategy for preventing kidney disease, particularly in high-risk populations.

[Physician working hours and effects on health, satisfaction and healthcare]

Changes in the working environment with respect to innovative working time models are also increasingly affecting patient care. The number of physicians working part-time, for example, is continuously rising. At the same time, a general increase in chronic diseases and multimorbid conditions as well as the growing shortage of medical staff, leads to more workload and dissatisfaction among this profession. This short overview summarizes the current study situation and associated consequences regarding working hours of physicians and gives a first explorative overview of possible solutions.