Burnout in Canadian urology: Cohort analysis from the 2018 Canadian Urological Association census

Abstract

Introduction: Physician burnout is associated with medical error, patient dissatisfaction, and poorer physician health. Urologists have reported high levels of burnout and poor work-life integration compared with other physicians. Burnout rates among Canadian urologists has not been previously investigated. We aimed to establish the prevalence of Canadian urologist burnout and associated factors.
 Methods: In the 2018 Canadian Urological Association census, the Maslach Burnout Inventory questions were assigned to all respondents. Responses from 105 practicing urologists were weighted by region and age group to represent 609 urologists in Canada. Burnout was defined as scoring high on the scales of emotional exhaustion or depersonalization. Demographic and practice variables were assessed to establish factors associated with burnout. Comparisons were made to the results of the 2016 American Urological Association census.
 Results: Overall, 31.8% of respondents met the criteria for burnout. There was no effect of subspecialty practice or practice setting on burnout. On univariate analysis, rates of burnout were highest among urologists under financial strain (50.8%), female urologists (45.3%), and early-to-mid-career urologists (37.7–41.8%). Factors associated with demanding practices and poor work-life integration were predictive of burnout. A total of 12.2% of urologists reported seeking burnout resources and 54.0% wished there were better resources available.
 Conclusions: Urologist burnout in Canada is lower than reported in other countries, but contributing factors are similar. Urologists who report demanding clinical practices (particularly in early-to-mid career), poor work-life integration, financial strain, and female gender may benefit from directed intervention for prevention and management of burnout. Burnout resources for Canadian urologists require further development.

Burnout: A Call to Action From the AUA Workforce Workgroup. Letter.

“…1 The authors performed a relevant and detailed clinical trial and should be commended for their study due to the lack of evidence regarding the real benefits of one laser source over the other in the clinical setting. As reported by the authors, the findings of the current study significantly differ from the recently published trial by Ulvik et al, 2 as well many preclinical studies, 3 showing superior efficiency of ablation with TFL (at equal energy and frequency settings) when using "painting" or popcorning techniques for stone dusting. That fuels the scientific debate on Ho:YAG vs TFL outcomes in the real-life scenario.…”

“…2 Furthermore, as Harris et al highlight, 1 burnout also interferes with our medical judgment and therefore puts at risk the well-being of our patients. 3 Although there have been many studies reporting the prevalence of burnout and its consequences for the health care system and health care workers, we should focus more on searching for solutions to this problem. The documentation of medical information in an extensive electronic health record (EHR) is a cause of burnout.…”

Burnout: A Call to Action From the AUA Workforce Workgroup

“…Major contributors in this population were similar, including financial strain (51% rate of burnout), female gender (45%), and those <46 years old (43%). 23…”

An organizational approach to improve staff resiliency and wellness during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, several studies had already reported elevated burnout levels amongst various groups of healthcare workers (e.g. , 4 ; 6 ; 25 ; 27 ; 30 . Globally, research showed that as the COVID-19 pandemic progressed, burnout continued to be a significant problem impacting healthcare workers 11 ; 15 , and in some cases had become present at higher rates than previously reported 17 .…”