ACS 2018: Assessing Reasons for Urologist Burnout, Its Implications, and Possible Interventions
A total of 464 responses were obtained: 415 were male (89.4%) and 47 were female (10.1%). The largest number of responders were 51-60 years of age (n=131, 28.1%), in practice for >30 years (n=136, 29.2%), and mostly working in a single urology group (n=172, 37.9%). Most urologists ranked their current level of burnout as mild (n=156, 33.7%) or moderate (n=152, 32.8%). Many rated their current level of burnout as moderately worse than it was 5-10 years ago (n=130, 28.1%).
Urologists cited multiple reasons for burnout including insurance and/or government regulation (n=277, 60.3%), lack of time to accomplish all duties (n=218, 47.5%) and lack of control of work conditions (n=191, 41.6%). 27.7% (n=125) felt their burnout was affecting their time to retirement to a moderate degree. Only 33 responders stated their practice had interventions that specifically addressed burnout including but not limited to: employee assistance/counseling programs, mindfulness training, and sessions on burnout and stress management.
In conclusion, burnout affects a large number of urologists, which is affecting future retirement plans. Interventions that focus on regulation control and work conditions are necessary to prevent this trend from worsening.
Presented By: Jyoti Chouhan, DO, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York
Written by: Stephen B. Williams, MD., Associate Professor, Division of Urology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX. and Ashish M. Kamat, MD. Professor, Department of Urology, Division of Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX at the 2018 American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress, October 21-25, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts