Southwest Journal of Pulmonary and Critical Care (Jun 2019)
Which half are you? Almost half of pediatric oncologists and intensivists are burnt out……
Abstract
Objective: To study the prevalence of burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and wellbeing among pediatric critical care and pediatric hematology and oncology physicians Design: Observational cohort study Setting: Online survey Patients: Active American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) members of the section of critical care and the section of hematology and oncology Interventions: Surveys containing three validated instruments (the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the secondary traumatic stress scale and the Personal Wellbeing Index, as well as questions on demographics and lifestyle) were emailed out via the AAP. Measurements and Main Results: We had 231 respondents with a response rate of 15.8% among PICU physicians and 26.1% among hematology-oncology physicians. 45.9% of our participants consisted of hematology-oncology physicians and 54.1% of pediatric critical care physicians. The population was a balanced gender mix but was predominantly Caucasian (82% Caucasian and 10% Asian). The overall rate of burnout was 46.6% (47.8% among hematology-oncology physicians and 45.8% among pediatric intensivists). We found significant rates of emotional exhaustion, with 43.0% of respondents scoring high on this subscale. The prevalence of secondary traumatic stress was 46.8% (42.5% among hematology-oncology physicians and 50.9% among pediatric intensivists). Physicians in practice over 10 to 15 years had significantly higher rates of secondary traumatic stress (p < 0.05). No other demographic or lifestyle variable was significantly associated with an increased risk of burnout or secondary traumatic stress. Conclusion: Our study reports concerning rates of burnout and secondary traumatic stress among pediatricians in the specialties of Hematology/Oncology and Pediatric Critical Care Medicine. The results raise concern for better screening and prevention for burnout in these high risk specialties. Promoting recognition of early symptoms is crucial, as well as creating a work environment that promotes mental health.
